The best way to find ourselves is to lose ourselves in the service of others said Mahatma Gandhi. Wilfred Greenfell added that the service we render for others is really the rent we pay for our room on this earth. In the following article, Marion Bond West of Lilburn, Georgia explains how helping others had helped her heal from depression.

When I approached my third year of widowhood and the last of my four children were about to leave home, I felt very melancholy. It wasn't the first time I had felt depressed, but it was bad enough to keep me awake for entire nights. I seldom laughed and I seemed haunted by thoughts of "how it used to be." All my anticipation for life was gone. Finally, like a drowning person, I cried out, "Do something, God!"

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.-Marcus Aurelius

The next day I happened to see a small ad in my church paper for a secretary at the church counseling center. I had the strangest feeling that God was telling me to answer that ad. My church was 25 miles away, in downtown Atlanta, and I hated driving downtown. Furthermore, I wasn't a secretary and hadn't worked outside the home in 28 years. But in spite of my reluctance, I still felt God nudging me.

I got the job. And I was a disaster. I made one mistake after another—even wrote down phone numbers wrong! I had the feeling that everyone would be relieved if I quit—including me. The one good thing about it was that I began to take an interest in the people who came in for counseling. I prayed for them. I began to notice their progress and rejoice over their victories.

Be happy. Be who you want to be. If others don't like it, then let them be. Happiness is a choice. Life isn't about pleasing everybody.-Unknown

Slowly things changed for me. I was exhausted when I got home, but content at night, and sleep came again. So did laughter. I began to anticipate the next day. After several months I began to understand why God had wanted me to take the job. Doing something difficult—something for which maybe I wasn't even qualified—had helped me because I was helping someone else.

I've learned some things about depression since then: that you can't escape by running away, that it can attack men and even children. I know too that if depression persists, it's wise to seek professional help.

But I've also learned there are things you can do on your own to confront depression:

1. Arm yourself for the battle.
I read encouraging passages of Scripture and try to memorize them (Isaiah 61:3 or 40:31, or Psalm 34:17, for instance). I also read from a favorite book,
My Utmost For His Highest, by Oswald Chambers. Or I listen to inspirational music, sometimes singing along. Of course, I don't feel like turning on the music. But this is a battle.

2. Try to pinpoint why you are depressed.
For instance, I miss being a wife, and I think that if I were a wife again, I wouldn't be depressed. But
I must remember that I was a wife for 25 years, and there were often times when I felt depress then. I explain to myself that people, circumstances and things don't make one really happy. Joy comes from choosing to believe that God is working in my life in all circumstances.

3. Do something for someone else.
Dr. Karl Menninger of the famous Menninger Clinic once said that there's one sure way to avoid having a breakdown, a solution so simple that almost no one will believe it works. You simply walk out your front door and find someone—anyone—who needs help, and you help him or her.

Reaching out, reminding ourselves that we're not alone, is the first step back. We may not be immune from ever feeling depressed, but our powerful God is always standing ready to help us fight the battle against it. After all, He promises us that "sorrow and mourning shall flee away" (Isaiah 51:11).

By Tim Pedrosa



 

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it’s at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second one is to help others.

 

Tim