Depression affects one in ten men, and sadly many struggle in silence. There remains a stigma around seeking help for mental health issues among men, with many believing they can or should shoulder the burden of depression alone. Believers follow a Savior who is fully human and fully God, empathizing with those facing sorrows and emotional turmoil, while being able to help them.
We have a Maker who understands our complexities because He designed us that way. Not only that, but He knows our thoughts before they’ve become speech; if anyone was to help us through a dark night of the soul, it’s Him. May these Scriptures find you in the darkness and provide a light to your feet.
Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls – Matthew 11:28-29, NIV
Jesus invited all who weren’t coping. Life is often cruel and harsh, and we may be struggling beneath heavy expectations from every direction, but He understands. He does not have heavy expectations of us. He knows that to be human means to face difficulties and invites us to find rest in our connection with Him.
Note also how He highlights the fact that He is humble and gentle and invites us to learn that from Him. It is often nothing more than pride that makes us suffer in silence. Being open and honest with our struggles can be uncomfortable and unnatural for us, but Jesus understands and doesn’t judge. Instead, He welcomes us to offload the burden of pride at His feet.
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ – Galatians 6:2, NIV
Believers were designed and intended to be a community that thrives on connectedness and is affected by other’s experiences. Elsewhere in the New Testament Paul puts the idea of connectedness in terms of us being a body made up of many parts, with the whole body hurting when one part hurts.
We might have a false belief that our problems do not matter. This belief needs to be confronted and exposed to the truth of God’s Word. The truth is that we do matter and that the problems we face must be shared by our siblings in Christ.
In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. – Psalms 18:2, NIV
No one in scripture embodies emotional integrity quite like David. He constantly expressed his emotions, unafraid of how they would sound. He knew there was no hiding from the God who sees all.
In this psalm, he talks of sinking into darkness, with ropes coiling around his neck, dragging him further under. All he can manage to do is call out for God with a feeble voice. God responds dramatically, parting the sky, piercing the darkness, and pulling David out. There are times when we have no prayers left because we feel constricted by the heavy chords of depression. God hears even the simple prayer of “Help!” and He will respond.
By the blast of your nostrils the water piled up. The surging waters piled up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. – Exodus 15:8, NIV
Depression has a way of not only sapping our physical and mental energy, but also our hope. It can feel impossible to see our way out of the darkness, but our God makes a way for miraculous escapes. Even the ocean couldn’t stand in the way of rescue. He closed the way behind them, ensuring their safety.
Our challenge is to look upward and outward when we are battling depression and to ask for and accept help from God and others. Things don’t change instantly, or dramatically like they do in the poetry of the Psalms. It’s when we share our burden and change our mindset that we make the way for change to come.
The burden bearers of depression
God has provided help in the form of counselors and professional therapists at Irvine Christian Counseling. They are available and able to help you with your depression. All you have to do is reach out to our reception team and ask for help. When you contact us at Irvine Christian Counseling in California, we will schedule you with a therapist in Irvine, California who can help you shoulder the burden of depression.
“Alone in the Field”, Courtesy of Max Duzj, Unsplash.com, CC0 License
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