To The Depressed Christian

You are not alone.  The rate of depression among the Christian community is no different than the general populace.  This means there are many Christ followers who are suffering with depression.  I am one of those Christians.  There are many things I have learned in over 30 years of dealing with this mental illness.

1.  Your faith is not weak.  There is no relative or causal relationship between your quantity of faith and your quality of mental stability.  If anything, when you are still clinging to God, praying and/or believing your faith is probably stronger than you realize. 

2. God's presence in your life is not dependent on how you feel.  There are times when you feel your prayers are not being heard and God feels very distant.  You wonder where God is and why he is showing up in your life.  The truth is, God is right there with you.  He doesn't leave you or forsake you.  His presence in and around your life is not dependent on whether or not you feel it.  He is there.  He sees.  He has compassion on you.

3. Your pain is not wasted or unfruitful.  God has a miraculous way of redeeming the time.  You may or may not be aware of how he will use your suffering for good.  Your story may help someone else who is also depressed.  You may be giving others an opportunity to serve through compassionate care ministries.  Your walk with God may grow closer.  It's all unknown but we know according to Romans 8:28 God works ALL things together for the GOOD for those who love him. 

4. When you are at your lowest you may not find comfort in certain scriptures but you will find friends.  The Bible is full of stories of people who went through and wrestled with depression.  Job, Jonah, and Elijah to name a few.  You will find people who felt inadequate like Moses, David and Gideon. 

So to the depressed Christian I want to say your faith is not weak, you are not alone, your pain will be redeemed and others have gone before you who ended up serving mighty purposes for God.

I pray for you.  May God's face shine upon you and give you peace.