I once shared this in a post on X:
Good people get depressed.
Godly people get depressed.
Depression isn’t sin.
It’s a state.
Sometimes it’s circumstantial.
Sometimes it’s spiritual.
Sometimes it’s chemical.
Treat it holistically.
Pray.
Get counseling.
Talk to your doctor.
And never, ever let go of hope!
Shortly after sharing that, I read a post from another person who said, “You don’t need a therapist, you need Jesus.” Both posts received positive affirmation from Christians, which suggests to me there is confusion in the camp.
A decade ago, my doctor diagnosed me with depression and anxiety and started treating me for it, checking in with me every six months. I’ve also seen a therapist who has helped me unlock many doors inside my soul. And I talk to God in prayer about depression quite often.
In other words, I’m addressing my depression physically (chemically), spiritually, and emotionally. I’m battling in a holistic manner.
Having studied the subject of depression in the scriptures, I’ve come to believe that discouragement can be a sin—when we choose to give into fear and self-pity rather than trusting in God’s faithfulness. But depression is not a sin. It’s a state. It’s a condition.
Depression can be situational, brought on by circumstances. It can be spiritual, resulting from unforgiveness, unconfessed sin, or spiritual warfare. It can be chemical, resulting from something unhealthy in the brain. It can be physical, fueled by poor health, or other conditions. And it can be mental and emotional, the result of trauma or heredity.
When you walk through depression, you’re in good company. Good and virtuous people get depressed, including people who wield great influence.
Charles Spurgeon said this,
I know, perhaps as well as anyone, what depression means, and what it is to feel myself sinking lower and lower. Yet at the worst, when I reach the lowest depths, I have an inward peace which no pain or depression can in the least disturb. Trusting in Jesus Christ my Savior, there is still a blessed quietness in the deep caverns of my soul.
And King David wrote a song about his depression. It included these words…
My tears have been my food day and night,
while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
(Psalm 42:3)
David couldn’t eat. He couldn’t sleep. And he couldn’t stop crying. Furthermore, people questioned his faith because of his emotional state.
More words…
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?…
My soul is downcast within me…
Why must I go about mourning…
My bones suffer…
(Psalm 42:5-6)
