Feeling Hopeful!

Today for the first time in a long time, I woke up feeling hopeful.  The normal dread, lack of desire, forced movement was not there!  I truly praise God for this blessing today.  He is our Ultimate Healer that heals our mind, body, and soul.  He carries us through the dark days when it seems there is no hope and no future.  I know those that have suffered depression know what I am talking about.  And if you are there today, He is your Father that loves you more than you can ever imagine!!  He is our Abba Father, a Daddy that doesn't leave, that protects His child fiercely. 

I know that this does not mean I will be happy all the time.   We need a range of emotions to experience the fullness of life.  Without it, life would be dull and robotic.  Medicines can make you feel that way which is why some choose not to take it.  Personally, I would rather have a somewhat repressed feeling than have no desire or hope for tomorrow.  So thankful for those that have and continue to stand with me during the trials.  Loving each other is the best gift we can give.  There is no greater love than that of a brother or sister.  God’s Word is medicine for our spirit, soul and body, and the way we experience its power is by speaking it out loud, praying it to God, meditating on it, and believing it. When you speak His Word over your life, it releases that power into your life. Claim the healing that God wants for you.  He does not want you to suffer.  Say to yourself, I release pain.  He died that we may have life and have it more abundantly.  Remember,  there will be sad times and troubles in this world will come but now they will go away.  And now you know how to conquer them too!   Thank the Lord for your healing and The Comforter!

 Scripture to Memorize for Healing Your Mind/Emotions:

1 Peter 5:7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (The Amplified Bible)

 Resources:

Christian Meditation with Scripture

http://www.thechristianmeditator.com/

 

Hope for Today

If, like so many of us, you have been suffering in secret and in silence, in the fear that medication will deaden your feelings or is a sign of weakness, I hope this will encourage you to seek treatments now available to you. We live in an extraordinary era-the first era in which the illness that took the lives of Virginia Woolf, Vincent Van Gogh, Sylvia Plath, Mark Rothko, Ann Sexton-and Robin Williams—among so many others–can actually be treated. There are so many medications will little side effects that are effective and lift the dread and hopelessness.  My hope and prayer is that you will reach out, ask for help, tell your story and help others to know there is Hope...and that hope is in Jesus Christ.  He will carry you through the storm, He will not let you suffer alone.  He will bring people into your life to support you. Ask Him to do this.  He has done this for me in miraculous ways. 

Back in 2008, I met a lady through a devotional website that was suffering terribly from depression.  Her and I formed a close relationship and were able to pray for each other and understand what to pray for.  In the throws of her depression, she wanted to take her life.  Through God’s protection, he used me and my husband to not allow this to happen.  I thank God for her today and what she means to me. She has been there for me now.

What is so important to fight the negative thoughts is to stay in the Word.  This is the spiritual nourishment that we need, reading God’s promises that are ours as believers.  Say them out loud if needed, memorize them and when the bad thoughts come in, fight them with the promises God has given us.  Learning this habit will do more to keep your mind and body sound and your life on an even keel than anything I know. Your spirit needs nourishment just like your body does. Don't wait until you have a crisis in your life.  Praise songs work great as well.  God has allowed me to wake up with them in my head already.  Listen to them and sing them even when you don’t feel like it.  It will draw you closer to Him and raise your spirit.

Praise You Lord for Your Love and carrying me! 

The “I Am” is with you,

Deb

Scripture for Today:


“The Lord your God is with you.    He is mighty enough to save you. He will take great delight in you.  The quietness of his love will calm you down.  He will sing with joy because of you.” Zephaniah 3:17

Song to Meditate On:

“Everything I Need”  Kutless  (Jesus Carry Me)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXaSHxbqqS8

YOU are Beautifully and Wonderfully Made!

It is okay to be yourself and it is okay to fail.  Don’t try to be like others.  You were created in God’s image as a unique individual.  Relish your uniqueness.  God does!!  You don’t have to be perfect.  Such a lie from satan himself who comes to steal and destroy.  “The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest.” John 10:10   Know that when you live for God, the enemy does not like this and will attack.  We have the Holy Spirit within us as believers that is our Comforter and Protector from the enemy.  Call out to Him in prayer and He will bring you peace and comfort in your greatest hour of need.  God knows who you are.  Ask Him the whys, give Him your questions, your secrets.  He will not reject you.  He is your Father that gave His only Son for you that you may have life and have it more abundantly.

Give yourself time to adjust to the meds.  The side effects eventually go away for the most part.  I continue to experience hot flashes at night.  Slow but steady progress daily I pray.  If they are overwhelming, tell your doctor and they can prescribe something different or adjust the dosage.  Take things slow which can be hard for those that want immediate satisfaction.  That is when we have to rely on God’s strength.  He can only show us His strength and how He is the one that is our Savior and carries us when we are weak.  Rest in this.  Get physical rest when you can.  You are treating an illness that affects the body.  It takes time for meds to work and heal.  Remind yourself of the healing taking place in your body.  Bask in the moments of clarity and know they will return again. 

Love in Him,

Deb

 

Scripture for Today:

“Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 AMEN!!

 

A Song for You

Mercy Me “Beautiful”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C2o0jHNRuU

My Grace is Sufficient for you...

             As a Christian, satan likes to attack when you are at your weakest so this can be a time of spiritual warfare.  Stay close to God.  He cannot harm you without God’s permission  Ask other Christians to pray over you.  Until you are fully recovered, stay away from those things that can set you back.  This can be watching movies or tv shows that are fiction but your mind can play tricks on you to believe they are real.  Stay in the reality of today.  Listen to peaceful music, take a walk in nature, enjoy simple things, watch uplifting movies or tv.  Enjoy God’s beauty and landscape of this world.  Move forward knowing God’s grace is sufficient in our weakness.  Each day, work on your relationship with Him.  God loves you just as you are.  Be comfortable in your own skin. You are incredibly and wonderfully made by the creator of the Universe.

           Do something nice for yourself.  It affirms your worth and promotes healing.  Take time today to bask in His sunlight.  Display notes of love and affection to remind you of the love that surrounds you.  God loves us always, whether we are good or bad; His love does not change for us.  We do not have to earn His love.  I am realizing this more and more as I spend daily time with Him.  God bless you on your journey to healing.

 Deb

 

Scripture Reading for Today:

II Corinthians 12:9-10 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches,in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

 

Reference- What does God really mean by “My grace is sufficient for you”.

 

http://www.livingstonesbiblechurch.com/TruthSheets/PAULsTHORN.pdf

When Happiness Seems Far Away...

Sometimes when we are down, we just don’t feel God near.  We don’t want to praise Him or worship Him, we just can’t.  At these times, He is still God.  He never changes.  His love never changes.  He understands our pain.  Jesus suffered all of these pains, loneliness, fear, isolation, torture.  We have a King that has been through our sufferings.  He loves us and WILL comfort us during these times.  Reach out to Him even when you don’t feel like it.  As the song says, “I choose to say Blessed by Your Name”.

Remember we will have ups and downs in this world.  Stressors can make the depression worse.  If you are not feeling normal, can’t laugh, tired, cry for no reason, you may need to increase medicines or get up and get busy doing something.  Exercise can release endorphins that stimulate the brain.  Blessings to you on this journey we call life.

Deb

^“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

 

Song of the day

“Blessed Be the Name of the Lord” by Matt Redman

Treatments for Depression

There are a number of ways to treat depression.  I have found that these things help me when I get depressed; anti-depressants, healthy diet, exercise, prayer, gratitude, and counseling or talking to friends.   I caution a totally natural approach for treating clinical depression.  If it works for you that is great but don’t be afraid to try medication.  Whatever makes you feel normal is what you need.  If you take an anti-depressant and feel a little woozy or 'out of body', 'disconnected', then you are either on the wrong drug or the wrong dosage.   I took Wellbutrin several years ago and later when I had another bout with depression, I tried it and the side effects were terrible.  That is when I switched to Cymbalta which worked great.  Folic acid has been said to help anti-depressants work more effectively.  I have started taking this to see if it makes a difference.  It does seem to help.

Medication works for me with very little side affect.  My head does feel clearer when I am off of it but when needed, it works great. Weigh the pros and cons of taking medication.  If the benefit is greater than the side effects, you should consider staying on it.  It is a personal choice.  Remember, you are treating an illness which should be treated as you would any other illness.  You will know when the medicine starts to work.  For me, it is like a switch that goes on and I feel back to normal, dread is lifted, decisions are easy, and I am able to laugh again, even at myself!  There are several medical conditions associated with depression as well such as low thyroid and hormonal changes in the body.  Your doctor can run tests to check for these conditions.

Exercise is an important part of helping the medications work to their full potential.  A brisk walk or bike ride is a great way to do something for the depression and yourself.  Remember to be grateful and reach out to others.  Having a Christian counselor to talk to has helped me immensely.  I encourage you to do the same.  Getting to the root of the problem that may be causing the depression and letting God renew your mind to His ways will renew your spirit and will allow you to experience His love for you. 

In life, we can get beaten up by those believing that they love us but show it in such a way that damages our spirit and our soul.  When we grow up without a loving parent to show us the affection that we expect from a parent, we believe there is something we must have done to cause this.  This can be traumatic to a child unable to understand the why, especially to little girls without a father’s love.  It usually spills over into the men they choose in their life as well.  God can renew our minds to help us heal from this.  Realizing that He is a father that can give us so much more than our earthly father could ever think of can help ease the pain.  I pray you can see Him as your Heavenly Father that loves you more than you can imagine.

Blessings to you on your journey,

Deb

My Journey

During the darkest days of my depression, I journaled many things that were happening to me in order to remember what it was like and to be able to help other women going through the same things.  There are so many things that went through my mind during those early days that it felt as if I was journaling constantly.  I knew if I did not, I would not remember them as our brains were created to block the horrible things in life.  

I am sharing some of these with you, mostly in the order as they happened to me, in hopes they will help you and give you comfort in your dark days.  My prayer is that you to realize you are not alone and others suffer as you do.  Remember God is stronger than anything you will ever go through. Lean on Him during these times.  He will go with you to the depths of the darkest valleys, He will never leave you.  That promise will give you comfort in your darkest days.

Today's Thought

Try to stay in the moment and not worry about the future.  Tackle one thing at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed.  Life is not a sprint, it is a marathon so pace yourself.  Prioritize your tasks and take them one by one.  Give yourself a break.  Remember how much God loves you and cares for you.

Scripture for Today

"Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me."  Psalm 23:4 (New Living Translation)