Christian and depressed. How is that possible?

The Bible says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. How is it then that we can be Christian and depressed? With all that love, joy, peace, Etc., is it really possible to still be depressed? From experience, I say absolutely yes.

I’ve made references to depression before. Not a lot, but some.

I’ve written that I do have problems with depression. I even went so far as to write We can only help the broken world around us if …

That article concluded with:

So if you’re worried about sharing something personal – pray about it.  Read some stuff that others have already shared.  But know – you’re not alone.  And try to remember when you were going through whatever that personal “stuff” is.  Remember how you wish you had someone to talk to – someone who had already been through it.  Maybe you didn’t then.  

We can all be that someone who helps the broken world around us. Someone that maybe we didn’t have when we needed them.  We can be that someone for one of God’s children today.  But we can only do that if we’re willing to be vulnerable ourselves – and share what we’ve been through.

If you  we are not willing to be vulnerable with your our own brokenness, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for you us to do something of eternal significance for the broken world around you us.

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Why am I writing “Christian and depressed. How is that possible?”

I first wrote that seven years ago, back in January 2015. There was an update in March 2018. Since then, it’s been viewed more than 2,000 times. It might be time for another update. Won’t know until after Christian and depressed is done.

In any case, something happened last week that made me realize I need to more intentionally write about Christianity and depression. I think people don’t really understand depression. Heck, I don’t even understand it, so much as I’ve learned to recognize it and pay attention to things that trigger it. If you read About me, you get the idea I’ve probably been depressed pretty much my whole life. I mean, how could all that not be depressing.

Not that I’ve got the worst life ever. Just living here in the U.S. makes life better than so much of the rest of the world. At least, that’s what we’re told. If money is the gauge of a good life, I guess it’s true. But then, people all over the world, even in what we see as desperate and depressing conditions, they smile just like we do.

The actual event will come in in an article I’m working on now. Not this one, but soon. First, I feel like I need to do an introduction to the topic. To let the reader know that it is possible to be a depressed Christian. That if you are Christian, and you still suffer from depression, Christianity does not cure the evils of this world. God didn’t create us to be depressed.

But this is a fallen world. And depression does exist. Even amongst Christians. And it’s not our fault. It’s not weakness. And, to give a hint as to what’s coming, it’s not something that well-meaning Christians can talk us out of it. Maybe most of all, there is a distinction between the fruits of the spirit mentioned at the beginning and the feelings of depression that we experience.

Christian joy versus human depression

To put it simply, Christian joy does not necessarily negate human depression.

One, Christian joy, is spiritual. The other, human depression, is very much human, based on things like life experiences, chemical imbalances in the brain, possibly even what we eat or drink – or don’t. They are two different things.

Christian joy – a fruit of the Spirit

Let’s see what that Christian joy is really about. To start with, it’s part of what’s known as the Fruit Of The Spirit. It’s described by Paul in Galatians.

Life by the Spirit

Gal 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

Life by the Spirit means trying to live by guidance from the Holy Spirit, as opposed to our own desires in this fallen world. As Paul states, the two things are in conflict with each other.

Paul then goes on to list some of the things that come from our own desires, as a result of the fall.

Gal 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

That list, of course, isn’t complete. And while we might like to read it and notice it’s pretty bad stuff, and we don’t hardly do any of them, life isn’t so simple. Even things like gossip and what we call “white” lies or innocent omissions – they are also from our own selfish desires, but from God.

Paul then lists the fruit of the Spirit. Something many Christians have memorized. But so often I can’t help but wonder, do we really understand them?

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

So there’s the list.

But here’s the catch. Well, the first catch. I already asked, do we understand what the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control really entail? Exactly what are they? And how do we know when we’re truly experiencing any of them?

I ask that because of an experience I had. I was quite sure I, never experienced the true joy from the Holy Spirit. Another Christian told me, “Of course you have”. That blew me away! How does this person who knows so little about me know that I’ve for certain experienced the joy of the Holy Spirit while I feel quite sure that I never did?

It was, in a word, depressing. If this person was right, then I missed something really wonderful. If he was wrong, what the heck was he trying to do to me? Either way, it just seemed so wrong that someone who’s not an integral part of my life is trying to tell me I do feel joy when I know darned well that I don’t!

In the years that followed, I think I’ve learned that I’ve had precious little human joy in my life and didn’t have a clue what the joy of the Holy Spirit is. Further, if I don’t understand what it is, then I also cannot experience it. The thing is, I feel better realizing that, because at least it gives hope for experiencing it in the future. That future came in the middle of a hospital visit that I wasn’t sure I’d come home from. You can read it in God – is it time for me to go home? That’s “home” as in Heaven. Obviously, that didn’t happen.

And here’s the second catch. Even if we don’t do those things from the list of selfish desires, it doesn’t mean someone else won’t do them to us. Maybe we’ve been the victim of sexual abuse/assault, someone else’s rage, lies about us, all sorts of things. All of them can be depressing.  Any one of them can be a trigger for depression, even if it’s “only” something that reminds us of our past trauma.

And then Paul closes with:

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.  

Notice, there’s nothing in there that implies, even a little bit, that somehow the fruit of the Spirit will cancel out the damage done by the selfish desires of other people. So can we be Christian and depressed? Yes.

What about trials and temptations?

If you’re Christian, you probably remember what James wrote about joy in the middle of, let’s call them, bad things.

Trials and Temptations

Jas 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

…

There it is. A verse I suspect way too many people either give lip service to or just assume they really do it without ever looking deeply enough know for sure.

Jas 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

To be sure, I used to be so angry at God for things “He did to me”, as opposed to even thinking He was doing something “for me”. And even now, all these years later, I don’t always go to thinking of something God’s doing “for me” right away. But then, I also don’t go to what are You “doing to me” either. And I’m much quicker at asking, “What do You want me to learn from this?”

I believe that’s all good progress. On the other hand, I don’t think I’ll ever get it right, this side of Heaven.

Translation – those depression triggers also aren’t going away this side of Heaven. Therefore, the depression isn’t going away either.

Conclusion – Christian and depressed. How is that possible?

For some of us, it’s entirely possible.

Rather than try to listen to some other Christian telling us we do feel joy and shouldn’t feel depressed, I think it’s better to start by acknowledging what’s really going on. Pay attention to things. Come to recognize our triggers. Get professional help. Take mediation, if needed. Eat better. But don’t pretend it’s not happening.

And don’t listen to others, no matter how Christian they claim to be, who try to tell you the perfect life is available. It’s not! There’s isn’t perfect either. Maybe they don’t see it. Maybe they refuse to see it. But there was only one perfect life on this planet. And it wasn’t ours. It was Jesus. Ultimately, He is our hope for the next life.

But in this life, we need to recognize we can be a true Christian and still have problems with depression. I feel like, especially for us, it’s even more important to come to know, to recognize, and try our hardest to live a life where we can experience the fruit of the Spirit. Of course, that’s only possible when we use the power of the Spirit to live in the Spirit.

It may be harder for us. Depression can make us feel like there’s no point. That it’s not possible. But it is.

Do you remember the picture at the top? Not, it’s not me. I chose it from Pixabay because of what it shows. We can sit in a small place, look out at the world, maybe even want to be a part of that world, and yet not feel able to begin to cope with the dangers in that world because of our depression.

But take heart. Yeah – Jesus said those last two words. They’re from the passage below. And they’re for us, if we’re true disciples of Jesus.

The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy

Jn 16:17 Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

Jn 16:19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Jn 16:25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Jn 16:29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

Jn 16:31 “You believe at last!” Jesus answered. 32 “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

Jn 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Let’s reread that last verse:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Yes. There will be trouble. Our depression is part of that trouble. But even in the middle of the depression, we can have peace.

No – Jesus’ did not say His peace will replace our trouble. Our depression. It won’t make it go away. But when we remember to turn to Him, we can have that peace.

Finally, as I mentioned, Jesus has overcome all of this. And He will share that with us in the next life, if we are a true disciple of His.

take heart!

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Image by Anemone123 from Pixabay

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