Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a few words about depression.
Welcome to "Joni and Friends" and aren’t you amazed by the numbers of people who are struggling against depression these days? It wasn’t long ago in the news that we all heard about the death of Robin Williams depressed and taking his own life. It rocked the entire entertainment industry. And then look at all the television commercials advertising Cymbalta, Prozac or Zoloft – all of it to defeat depression. That should tell you something’s up! Well, National Depression Education Month starts tomorrow, and one of the first things we need to do is get educated about when it comes to depression drugs are not always the best answer.
Believe me; I know something about clinical depression. Obviously I was terribly depressed when I first became a quadriplegic as a result of that diving accident. Then, some years later when I began experiencing chronic pain, I experienced another long stretch of depression. Honestly, I felt as though I were drowning, like there was a heavy cloud, a thick fog; I had no energy, no drive. Spiritually, I was hanging on for dear life. Hudson Taylor’s little quote best described my situation where he wrote, “I cannot read, I cannot pray, I can scarcely think, but I can trust.” And that’s exactly what I did. Isaiah chapter 50, verse 10 became my mainstay through depression where it says, “Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.”
Suffice to say, I came up out of those two long stretches of deep depression with a brighter perspective on not only my quadriplegia, but my chronic pain. God led me through those two times of deep darkness, and I'm so grateful for the lessons learned. And just what did I learn? Well, I realized that I paid way, way too much attention to my own thoughts – and when you’re depressed, you will probably hear thoughts that are dark, pessimistic and critical of yourself and others. And when those depressing thoughts get started, rarely do they stop until they get to the most despairing place possible. It’s like the whole process is on automatic. And because your mind seems to be perpetually foggy, or your thoughts always blue, you just don’t feel capable of the huge effort needed to make mental corrections. I learned that to break out of this cycle, you have to start by thinking – not automatic thinking that drags you down, but purposeful thinking that raises you up. And the best way to guide your thinking is with Scripture. There were many times I just talked to myself about things I knew to be true. I would tell myself out loud that God is good and that He is out to protect me; He is out to defend me; He wants to change me; He desires to make me more like Jesus. I would tell myself that that is a desirable thing. I would remind myself that man does not live by bread alone, -- come on, Joni -- but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Father, and then I would start reciting verses to live on, like “Let this attitude be in you, which was in Christ Jesus” or “That in Christ, I can be an over comer” or that “everyone born of God overcomes the world.” That sort of thinking was purposeful, and because of it, God's Word began to change my dark thoughts into brighter ones.
Oh, there’s so much more to say about this, so when you have a chance today, come by my radio page at joniandfriends.org and ask for your free copy of our booklet on depression. We’re also sharing this on our Joni and Friends Facebook page, so log on and get your copy of this special little book that will truly help you cultivate purposeful thinking. Don’t let your thoughts drag you down instead today visit the Joni and Friends Facebook page or joniandfriends.org.
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