Iris writes: "Depression makes sure it is felt, seen, heard, smelled, tasted. Depression doesn't stay an acquaintance. It fights to make its presence known. It is felt in blows to the head, and cuts to the wrists. Seen in everyday tasks left undone. Heard in loud cries, and sad music. Smelled in dirty clothes and burnt suicidal letters. And tasted in binge foods, and pills.
Depression is not passive. Depression is assertive, forceful, pushy. It whispers into your ear. It is convincing. It manipulates you into ignoring your best friends. It holds your hand down the street while you cross with your eyes closed. It shows you the way to an abandoned building and while you're there hands you a piece of broken glass to relieve your pain. It tells you to hang up on the suicide hotline to prevent them from judging you.
Depression pretends to be your friend. It tells you to stay in bed and rest. But it says the same thing every morning. It tells you to turn your phone off after you send a suicidal text message. It tells you to hide in closets, cars, and public restrooms while everyone else is having fun at a party because it isn't safe out there. It tells you to walk out of class and church service. It tells you to treat yourself, but says the same thing when you have $10 left for the week.
In 2017, I cut and harmed myself again. Wrote suicidal letters. Went to two different counselors. Took antidepressants. Had terrible eating habits:not eating or always eating. Depression took over most of my year. It made me lonely, angry, joyless. Filled me with fear, doubt, and insecurity. Prevented attachment and built walls.
Depression was and is stubborn, strong, and clingy, but it wasn't and isn't indestructible.
During my first week as a college student, I decided to make Jesus Lord of my life. But depression has been a part of my life since I was a kid. So when I felt feelings of despair I would beat myself up for not understanding Paul's command to "be joyful always".
When was God going to return to me the joy of my salvation? Why was my soul downcast? If Jesus came to bring me joy, and asked me to remain in him to make my joy complete, why wasn't I joyful? Maybe I wasn't really a disciple? But I was holding on to his teachings. Even if I couldn't muster the strength to read I would listen to the Bible. I would pray all day long. I was opening up, I was even getting professional help. Why was I so miserable?
I notice it now. But I didn't then. I was so self-focused. All of the above questions revolve around me. As if my happiness and my joy were what this world is about. And obviously it wasn't, it isn't, and it will never be about me.
God places us in the times and places we need to be so that we will seek him. And he placed me in a church that is devoted to God. That is devoted to one another. And I am so grateful for that. When I step back and take my eyes off of myself I see everything God was doing and keeps doing to heal me.
I recall how one of the ladies at church came up to me and said she had noticed that I hadn’t been myself lately and she knew something that could help me. We didn’t get to talk then, but couple weeks later she showed me Isaiah 61 and explained how a course at Setting Captives Free had really helped her with her purity when she was in college.
I thought it would not help because it was just a website. What could I possibly learn that I already don't know? Be still? Encourage others? Pray more? Read more? Know Satan's lies? I thought I was doing everything already, but I decided to give it a try.
I signed up for the course and asked to have a mentor, and the first time I read her feedback and how she was praying for me, I bawled. God put more people to fight with me. People that understand and have overcome!! New hope!!
I quickly realized that the course was all about going back to the cross where Jesus defeated sin, insecurity, loneliness, shame, guilt, depression and all evil. Where he disarmed Satan. Where he switched his fine garments with my filthy clothes. Where he took my place so that I would no longer have to be a prisoner captive of her sin, depression, and anxiety.
Many of the scriptures I read I had already read before. ...I had looked at the cross before. I already knew that story. But that was the point. I was looking at it like an old movie that I had watched millions of times. I thought the cross had nothing new to offer. But, oh, I was so wrong.
The cross is the center of Christianity. Without the cross there would be no hope. The whole Bible revolves around Jesus and the cross. It was the ultimate sacrifice. It was the answer to everything including depression.
There were many days where the lessons were too much for me because it meant that I had to look at the cross. I didn't want to look at the pain I put Jesus through! I was surprised every time I had doubts or questions and when I would finally decide to do the next lesson God's word would calm my anxious heart.
I learned to look at everything through the eyes of Jesus and the cross.
This journey was hard. But I had to surrender daily. And I learned that I will always have to do that. To wake up and look at the snake that was conquered and killed. Now on a pole. Defeated. To look at my defeated sin. To look at Jesus becoming my sin so that I could be made righteous. Jesus took it all. He became my sin. And so now my sin is gone. He rose and now he lives in me.
The cross taught me that it is never about me. That when I take my eyes off of the cross, off of Jesus and what he already finished, it gets depressing. If I look at the snake that bites I cannot be healed. But if I run to the pole and look up, it heals me. It is ugly. It is painful. It is healing. It is hope. The cross is where I get a new life free of depression. One where the focus is HIM. Where there is joy in what he has accomplished. Where sin no longer rules. Where there is freedom, where there is Jesus."
Question 1. What things had Iris been taught before about how to overcome depression?
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Christopher writes, "Depression taught Iris to be defeated and that there was no hope. It encouraged her to harm herself and cut herself. Depression encouraged her to write suicidal letters. Iris tried to get help like counseling and also the suicide hotline and she even took anti-depressants, but nothing worked."
Mike B. writes, "Iris thought that she should have been able to overcome depression because she was a christian. That she should pray more, read more, etc."
Question 2. Iris mentioned that she "got a new life free of depression" (last paragraph). How did this happen?
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Christopher writes, "The cross taught Iris that it is never about her. That when she takes her eyes off of the cross, off of Jesus and what he already finished, it gets depressing. If she looks at the snake that bites she cannot be healed. But if Iris runs to the pole and looks up, it heals her. It is ugly. It is painful. It is healing. It is hope. The cross is where I get a new life free of depression too! One where the focus is on HIM. Where there is joy in what he has accomplished. Where sin no longer rules. Where there is freedom, where there is Jesus. It is difficult to look away from us and look on Jesus but when we do we experience true freedom in Christ."