We
all know depression is a debilitating emotion but that doesn’t keep us from
becoming well acquainted with it. The year 2020 which initially held promise of
focus on new and exciting vistas became a time of hanging on to health and
sanity by our fingernails.
Covid-19
demolished travel plans, shut people away in fear, with many friends and family
members sickening and even dying. Jobs were lost, businesses went belly-up and
our nation became as fragmented, politically, as our lives did, physically.
These
are all reasons to let depression get a fierce grip. But wallowing in the
doldrums of despair is not a healthy situation. Depending on your circumstances,
the steps needed to pull out of that smothering morass may need to be baby
steps or even giant steps. But that first step needs to be taken.
Sarah
Young, in her entry for January 17 in the devotional book, Jesus Calling, reminds us that
keeping a thankful attitude allows us to experience Jesus’s Presence—even if our
surroundings seem exceedingly bleak. Jesus “can weave miracles into the most
mundane days” if you stay focused on Him.
After
all, He is the One who conquered death by emerging from a tomb on the third
day. He would love to show you a miraculous something, fashioned just for you.
As you cultivate a heart of thanksgiving—that first step--depression will begin
to crumble.
For
instance, if you contracted covid and an effect you suffered is bone-weariness,
the morning you wake up and can swing your legs off the bed with gusto is a
“mundane” miracle tailor-made for you. Start looking for those blessings and
there will no longer be room in your mind for depression. In fact, Barbara
Johnson, the Christian humorist, wrote an entire book about spotting these
blessings—Splashes of Joy in the Cesspool
of Life.
“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he
enables me to go on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:19
So
get ready for that first step with a grateful heart. Climb your maountain—no
matter the height because He will give you the strength.
