June Hunt - Depression: Walking from Darkness into the Dawn

The printed version of this eBook is the Depression: Walking from Darkness into the Dawn book, ISBN-13: 9781596366497

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Depression: Walking from Darkness into the Dawn
Copyright 2013 Hope For The Heart
All rights reserved.
Published by Aspire Press
An imprint of Hendrickson Publishing Group
Rose Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 3473
Peabody, Massachusetts 01961-3473 USA
www.HendricksonPublishingGroup.com

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DEPRESSION

Walking from Darkness into the Dawn

JUNE HUNT

• Sheds light on truth as you move away from darkness of depression.
• Gives wisdom, tips and insight from June Hunt, one of the world's leading biblical counselors whose life's work has yielded landmark contributions in her field.
• Changes your despair to hope as June gives you practical advice on how to open your heart to God.

Dear friend,

Do you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders? Do you feel stuck in a painful situationyou cant see the light at the end of the tunnel? Do you say to yourself, I cant see anything thats good. I cant feel any sense of happiness. I cant will myself out of feeling so down! If so, like millions of people, you are under the dark clouds of depression. And, if so, I truly understand!

When I was a teenager, I felt deeply depressed over the pain in my family. My father was not only unfaithful to my mother, but also verbally and emotionally abusive toward everyone in our family.

Struggling in the darkness of depression, I looked at life through a black filter. I had difficulty seeing any good in my circumstances and certainly couldnt see anything good in myself. I harbored hatred in my heart, felt helpless in the here-and-now and hopeless about the future. The pain was so intense, I even wondered if I was going crazy.

Then one day I genuinely invited Jesus into my heart and gave Him control of my life. The hurt in my heart didnt go away, but the Lord lifted the excessive burden that was crushing my spirit.

Today I can truly say,

Praise be to the L ORD , to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. (Psalm 68:19)

If you are walking in the darkness of depression, I hope these truths that made the real difference in my life will be helpful to you.

1. You need to see your life from Gods perspective. He cares about you and has positive plans for your life. The Lord says, For I know the plans I have for you ... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
2. You need to know that God has a purpose for everything that touches you. Nothing in your life occurs that has not first been filtered through Gods fingers of love. If God permits it, He guarantees He will use it for your good and for His glory. Romans 8:28 says, We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose .
3. You need to know that there will be times when your heart will be pressed down, but also times of restoration because God is a healer of broken hearts. He heals us when we give our heart to Him. And, He knows how to restore our joy. Second Corinthians 4:89 says, We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed .
4. You need to know that no matter how great your despondency, God can open your eyes to His unique design for your life. Just as storms replenish the dry, parched soil, giving birth to new life, the storms in your life can revitalize your relationship with the Lord and give birth to personal growth beyond what you could ever imagine. Psalm 119:67 says, Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word .

If you are struggling with depression, my prayer is that you will see this time as an opportunity to allow the light of Gods love to comfort you, carry you and encourage you so that you can walk from the darkness into the dawn.

Yours in the Lords hope,

The L ORD is my light and my salvationwhom shall I fear? The L ORD is the stronghold of my lifeof whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

DEPRESSION

Walking from Darkness into the Dawn

On June 20, 2001, the entire citythe nation, the worldwas stunned when Andrea Yates systematically drowned her children in the bathtuball five of her children ranging in age from six months to seven years.

In rapid fire, the shocked world asked, How could a mother do the unthinkablekill her own children? What could drive a mother to commit such a heinous crime, five times in a row? In a word, the answer is depression but not just normal depression, rather a psychotic depression that caused Andrea to break with reality. Couldnt someone have rescued this mother and these innocent children from their ultimate doom? The simple answer is yes . And the Lord admonishes us all to ...

Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, But we knew nothing about this, does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done? (Proverbs 24:1112)

Have the dark clouds of depression poured their tears upon your soul?

Do you feel stuck in your situation, muddled in your mind, mired in your emotions?

Creative geniuses and slow learners alike, international leaders and migrant farmers have struggled beneath the black clouds of depression. Can anything bring back the blue skies of contentment in the midst of depression?

King David of Israel discovered the answer to this questionhe exchanged the darkness of despair for the light of Gods hope:

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:11)

If you place a heavy iron on a heart-shaped pillow, the buoyant pillow becomes pressed downdepressed. But the next day, if you remove the iron, the pillow pops right back to its original form. However, if you wait to remove the iron for months, the pillow will not spring back to its original shape. Instead, the pillow will be flat and stay depressed. A pillow, which can sustain temporary pressure, is not designed to hold its shape for long under heavy pressure.

The same is true for the human heart. When it is pressed down due to normal pressure from normal situations (situational depression), your heart is made by God to be capable of rebounding once the pressure is removed. However, He did not design you to live under the weight of heavy pressure for long periods of time without having your heart enter into a state of depression. During those painful times when hope seems elusive, your emotions feel flat and your heart feels sick, Solomon, the wise author of the book of Proverbs, explains that Hope deferred makes the heart sick. (Proverbs 13:12)