Expectations and Depression
As some of you know, I have been able to minister to a few men in jail for the past several months. I believe God led me to do this, because without His leadership it would not have come about. It has been a challenge to help the men with all of their needs. However, I have noticed a huge difference between them, even though they are all in the same basic situation. One is battling depression, and the other two are not. I have been asking God to show me the reason for this, and I believe He has answered my prayers.
Depression is caused by a sense of hopelessness. Once people feel that there is no hope for them to see what they think they need, they begin to develop discouragement or depression. However, the root cause is even deeper than that. Why do they think they need those things? Why do they expect to have things a certain way? It is the expectations that lead them to the point of no hope. If their expectations are not fulfilled, they begin to be hopeless. So we need to think about reasonable expectations and how they can cure depression.
Take the Apostle Paul. He endured stoning, beatings, shipwrecks, a thorn in the flesh, and many other severe trials, yet he was not prone to depression. How is that possible, when he spent months and years in prison? I think it had to do with his expectations of what he needed for his life. He tells us this in I Timothy 6:6-8. The bottom line is that Paul's expectation of what he needed was food and covering. Some people translate covering as clothes, and others believe it is a place to stay. Whichever way you take it, his expectations were very low, weren't they? Paul had decided that all He needed from the Lord was food and clothes/covering, so anything else was surplus. Now, that is a great way to live.
He even said as much in Philippians 4:11. He had learned to be content in any and all circumstances of life. Why could he say this? His expectations were low, and he knew that Christ would supply his needs as he trusted Him. (Philippians 4:13,19) Now, how can a person get depressed with those expectations? I guess if he or she is starving to death naked and in the open, they would have grounds for depression. With any other situation there would be contentment.
I don't want to overstate the case, but I am serious about this. Are we guaranteed health, friends, a wife or a husband, a big bank account, or a nice house and car? No, those things are luxuries. We brought nothing into this world with us,and we will take nothing out. Oh yeah, that brings me to my final point. Everyone needs Jesus, because He is the only One who can take us from here to Heaven. He is not a thing, but a Person. His presence in our lives makes life worthwhile and Heaven a reality. Jesus was the reason Paul could be content with food and covering. His peace allows us to have low expectations about everything else in life and escape the chains of depression.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 17-19 and Ephesians 5:17-33.
Depression is caused by a sense of hopelessness. Once people feel that there is no hope for them to see what they think they need, they begin to develop discouragement or depression. However, the root cause is even deeper than that. Why do they think they need those things? Why do they expect to have things a certain way? It is the expectations that lead them to the point of no hope. If their expectations are not fulfilled, they begin to be hopeless. So we need to think about reasonable expectations and how they can cure depression.
Take the Apostle Paul. He endured stoning, beatings, shipwrecks, a thorn in the flesh, and many other severe trials, yet he was not prone to depression. How is that possible, when he spent months and years in prison? I think it had to do with his expectations of what he needed for his life. He tells us this in I Timothy 6:6-8. The bottom line is that Paul's expectation of what he needed was food and covering. Some people translate covering as clothes, and others believe it is a place to stay. Whichever way you take it, his expectations were very low, weren't they? Paul had decided that all He needed from the Lord was food and clothes/covering, so anything else was surplus. Now, that is a great way to live.
He even said as much in Philippians 4:11. He had learned to be content in any and all circumstances of life. Why could he say this? His expectations were low, and he knew that Christ would supply his needs as he trusted Him. (Philippians 4:13,19) Now, how can a person get depressed with those expectations? I guess if he or she is starving to death naked and in the open, they would have grounds for depression. With any other situation there would be contentment.
I don't want to overstate the case, but I am serious about this. Are we guaranteed health, friends, a wife or a husband, a big bank account, or a nice house and car? No, those things are luxuries. We brought nothing into this world with us,and we will take nothing out. Oh yeah, that brings me to my final point. Everyone needs Jesus, because He is the only One who can take us from here to Heaven. He is not a thing, but a Person. His presence in our lives makes life worthwhile and Heaven a reality. Jesus was the reason Paul could be content with food and covering. His peace allows us to have low expectations about everything else in life and escape the chains of depression.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 17-19 and Ephesians 5:17-33.