Living By Faith

Every day you do things because you feel like doing them.

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and that’s a fact. Most people do things because they feel like doing them. You get up in the morning because you feel like you need to stretch, or you’re hungry for breakfast, or you feel like you really want to get to work. Maybe you work in the garden because you feel it’s satisfying and fulfilling; or you dig in your garden because you feel like carving time out for yourself. You head for the refrigerator because you feel like having a snack, or you feel like having a snack for a job well done, or for you, the refrigerator is an escape. We are more driven by our feelings than we would like to think.

But when you are depressed, you don’t feel. Or, whatever you do feel isn’t very motivating; it’s not motivating you to do anything worthwhile. When you are depressed, more than likely, you feel like disappearing or crying or running away. It’s hard to get motivated; it’s hard to set goals or have purpose. And friend, I know what it’s like. I’m paralyzed. I don’t have use of my hands or legs. Someone has to feed me and do my toileting routines and give me a bath. And I could just go on. So, I’m with you when I say I feel like crying or disappearing or running away from it all. There are days when I say I do battle against depression. I’ve had enough experience in that battle to know that depression is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad enemy. Depression is a fearsome opponent that tries to convince me that there is no purpose to life; no plan. Depression is an enemy that insists that nothing is worth doing. That you may as well go back to bed because God and his promises just aren’t to be believed. Or maybe they’re not worth believing.

Listen, I cannot let that kind of depression hold sway. And so, when I wake up in the morning to face another day of paralysis in which I don’t feel like doing anything – I do not listen to my depression. True, I do not have a smile, and so I move into the day borrowing God’s smile. When depression is a constant battle, you gotta learn another way to live. You can’t live by your feelings; you have to learn to believe and act on what God says rather than what we feel what God says. It’s what it means to live by faith. And it’s hard. But you and I have all the resources of heaven; all the riches of Christ; we’ve got all the power we need to rise up and out of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad feelings. To paraphrase Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is being certain of what we do not feel.” When there is a debate between what my feelings say and what scripture says, my faith – albeit at times, weak – my faith will say, “Uh-uh. No. Scripture wins.” Any other result and I am essentially telling God he can’t be trusted.

Oh, friend, I know it’s been a difficult season with COVID-19; no matter what, the best of Christians are struggling with depression. And if you are one, I want you to grab hold of these principles in an excellent little booklet on depression written by my friend Dr. Ed Welch. It’s rich, it’s deep, and it’s yours for the asking at joniradio.org. Let’s beat that terrible, horrible, no good, very bad enemy called depression; let’s follow scripture; let’s show God he can be trusted. Today, ask for your booklet on depression at joniradio.org. Oh, and while you’re there, take a minute to watch a brief video that I’ve posted on what I do when I’m depressed. Share it with a friend who needs encouragement. It’s all there for you at joniradio.org.

And one more thing – we here at Joni and Friends would love to pray for you in your troubles. So, share with us your prayer need today at joniradio.org.

© Joni and Friends

Depression

Emotional numbness. Fear and withdrawal. Fatigue. These are marks of what is commonly called depression. If you are one of the many people suffering from depression, there is hope and there is help. Dr. Edward T. Welch helps us understand the spiritual issues involved, and whether one’s depression is caused by physical problems or results in them. Getting to the heart of what depression says and means, Welch guides us through a process of dealing with depression biblically and effectively.