Physical Address
Towne Church
3722 Towne Blvd.
Middletown, OH 45005
I have a friend named Brody. Brody is a good friend because we have each other’s backs. If he ever needs help, he knows he can depend on me – the same for me. He and I have a tremendous friendship, but it seems like nothing ever goes the way it should in his life. Brody was a star athlete in high school. He could play almost any sport that involved a ball. Brody was well on his way to becoming a professional baseball pitcher. He had several baseball offers from Division I universities when he injured his knee while playing on the varsity high school basketball team. All his offers were retracted. He ended up playing baseball for one year in college at a small NAIA affiliate when he blew out his shoulder. He was no longer able to play baseball.
Brody’s story of unfortunate events did not end with baseball. He later married his girlfriend after they found out she was pregnant. After about ten years of marriage, she decided she no longer wanted to be with Brody. Rather than going to court to get a divorce, they agreed on a dissolution. The dissolution has been in progress for almost four years. During this process, Brody lost his oldest brother. He has a daughter who wishes not to spend time with him. Vehicles break down. As a contractor, jobs never seem to go right. Occasionally, I receive a call from him that he calls my personal ‘pick me up’, meaning that he wants me to hear how bad his life is, so I can feel better about my own.
Through the process of dissolution, he was highly encouraged to get counseling. He first contacted me in hopes that I could fill that void. I declined. I gave him some recommendations, and he found a therapist. To his disbelief, the therapist diagnosed him with clinical depression. He asked about my opinion, and I told him that he should listen to his therapist.
Depression has many faces. Brody’s source of depression primarily involved years of poor decisions. A person experiencing depression can have various roots. The example of Brody is a single example. Other causes of depression can be rooted in a single, traumatic event. Depression can occur after the loss of a loved one. Depression can occur with the loss of the ability to do specific activities that one historically enjoyed. There are many reasons individuals experience depression. To be honest, if a person has recently experienced loss or trauma and does not have feelings of depression, that is a concern. Feelings of depression are signs that a person is normal. Floyd writes, “If a person had gone through what you’ve just described and told me they were doing great, then I’d be surprised.” The human body uses mechanisms to provide a rest or reset, depending on the nature of trauma experienced. Depression is a natural mechanism that helps the body and mind to take a “time-out” when stress or stimuli are greater than what would be considered normal for an individual. Depression is not a response or feeling that should ‘park’ within an individual for extended periods of time – becoming a feeling of being stuck. These extended feelings may include having difficulty sleeping, unable to concentrate or finish tasks, irritability, lethargy and have relationship issues. They also may experience feelings of sadness, helplessness, hopelessness, and anger. A person struggling with depression may even have thoughts of suicide or self-harm.
One of the most common treatments for clinical depression is with cognitive-behavior therapy. This type of therapy consists of a trusting client-to-therapist relationship focusing on the potential roots of depression and moving toward applications that allow the client to develop differing core beliefs that are no longer distorted. Therapy in a cognitive-behavioral framework involves collaborative agreement between a client and a therapist on the problems to be addressed, followed by the application of a range of techniques designed to change distorted or false core beliefs. Medicinal therapies accompany most clinical therapies.
There a some individuals in the Bible that are know to have suffered from some type of depression. David comes to mind, but he is mentioned in another post regarding anxiety. Job is likely the most common figure, considering he lost everything. One could imagine that King Saul suffered from depression, but much of his problems were self-inflicted by disobedience. Jonah perhaps dealt with a bout of depression. One would assume Moses had some moments of depression when an entire nation of people doubted him on several occasions. Elijah is a standout. Elijah the prophet had seen and accomplished many tasks by the power of God. After the mighty things that Elijah had seen and done, he received a threat from Jezebel and he became afraid. After conquering hundreds of false prophets, a message from a single enemy caused Elijah to run for his life (I Kings 19:1). He prayed and hoped that he would die. God did not give Elijah his request. Instead, God reminded Elijah that he was chosen and had a purpose. God reminded Elijah that he would be restored and sustained.
One could imagine that Peter experienced a moment of depression after he denied Jesus (John 18:15-18). Even after experiencing a few moments of the resurrected, glorified Jesus, Peter reverted to what he knew before he met Jesus – fishing (John 21:3). Gravitating toward ideas and activities we are comfortable with is a standard action for those experiencing trauma or depression. Peter was not about to retreat without implicating others, so other disciples joined him. After a frustrating night without a catch, the disciples are met by Jesus that morning with a big catch, a fire on the shore, and some food. Jesus was able to have a moment with Peter. Peter was restored (John 21:15-19). There is hope for all those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ. Paul reminds us not to lose heart. Even though our physical bodies are afflicted and are in the process of decay and destruction, if we depend upon Jesus, our spirit can be refreshed and renewed each day (1 Corinthians 4:16-18).
