How to Handle Your Emotions (Counseling Through the Bible Series) (19 page)
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”
(J
OHN
14:6).
You can enter into a personal relationship with Christ right now by praying a prayer like this:
God,
I need peace in my life.
I need You in my life.
I admit that I have sinned.
Please forgive me for my sins.
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins.
Please come into my life to be my Lord and Savior.
I give You control of my life; make me the person You want me to be.
In Your precious name I pray.
Amen.
Andrea’s Epilogue
Once Andrea was placed back on the medication necessary to restore a chemical balance within her brain, she returned to a non-psychotic state. But, she then had to face the horrendous fact that she had taken the lives of her five precious children.
The harsh reality of her actions resulted in overwhelming emotional, psychological, and spiritual pain. How would she process, how would she think through the unthinkable? In a psychotic state of mind, she had done that which was inconceivable in a right state of mind.
The consequences were catastrophic to the children she cherished and devastating to her own mind and heart. Her mind could be restored to rightness, but her children could never be restored to life. She would never be without them in her mind and heart, yet she would never be with them in her lifetime.
Andrea’s struggle through the darkness of depression to the life-giving light of redemption was indescribably difficult. Christians who minister to prisoners have reached out to her with the reality of
God’s love and forgiveness, and His ability to comfort her and carry her through the all-consuming litany of losses in her life—her five children, her marriage, her entire way of living. Never would she be the same; never would her life be the same.
As Andrea opened her heart to God and to His healing hand, she began to experience a new life—His life. And she began to reach out to other women in the prison who also needed a new life in Christ. Never a day goes by that she doesn’t think of and long for her children. But now she misses them without falling back into that deep hole of depression. She lives in the strength of the Lord knowing that one day she will be united with them in heaven. She—and every believer—can cling to the promise that in heaven,
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain”
(R
EVELATION
21:4).
TEPS TO
S
OLUTION
God has a purpose for everything. Even the storm clouds in your life are no accident. Depression can open your eyes to God’s unique design for you before, during, and after your bouts with despondency. Remember: Storms replenish dry and parched ground, and they give birth to flowers and new life in the spring.
If you encounter a violent storm while traveling, you are faced with two choices: keep going, or pull over to a safe spot and wait it out. The storm clouds of depression are no different. You face the choices of seeking help, riding it out alone, seeing God’s perspective, or becoming drenched in bitterness. No matter how long the sky has been overcast or your soul has been downcast, you can rest in the words of the psalmist, who said,
“I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the L
ORD
in the land of the living”
B. Key Passage to Read and Reread(P
SALM
27:13).
While we can’t choose what we inherit genetically, we can choose what we dwell on cognitively. In the medical world, brain scans of those suffering from depression show marked improvement when words of hope, affirmation, and purpose are continually reinforced. In this respect,
life is a series of choices.
You can choose today to put the Word of God into action.
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1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
As we endure painful events in our lives, we can sweep them under the rug and ignore them. However, in doing so, we fail to grieve over our hurts and losses. By masking our depression, we try to protect our hearts and hide who we really are and what we don’t want to face. But this kind of masquerade blocks our maturity and our ability to have intimacy with God and others.
Don’t ever fear admitting your personal disappointments, the painful truths about your life, directly to God. Allow Him to help you see the reality of your pain from His perspective. He will reveal how He will work through your pain to give you wisdom about life and true depths of understanding. As David said to God,
“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place”
(P
SALM
51:6).
My Time Line
•
Draw
a long time line representing your life.
•
Divide
the time line into three sections: childhood, youth, adult.
•
Denote
the major changes in your life. Draw short horizontal lines extending from the time line and write, on each line, all significant events in your life—both positive and negative— including all major hurts and griefs. For example:
•
Determine
whether there are any sad experiences or significant losses and hurts that you have not faced, such as…
—failures | —thwarted goals |
—false accusations | —unjust criticism |
—rejection | —unrealized dreams |
•
Discover
the source of your masked pain through earnest prayer.
Prayer for Discovery
Heavenly Father,
As Your child, I come to You for help.
Calm my heart.
Enable me to see what I need to see.
Make me aware of my need for healing and show me Your truth. Bring to my mind any hidden hurt in my heart and the exact circumstances that caused it.
In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
•
Define
the emotional impact each event had on you with specific statements, such as…
“This made me feel like…”
“I am grieving over…”
“I was so embarrassed when…”
“I felt abandoned by…”
“I was really hurt when…”
“I’ve been determined to never let ( _______ ) happen again.”
•
Decide
to allow deep, genuine grieving over your losses.
“You, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you”
(P
SALM
10:14).
•
Defuse
the power that the event has over your emotions by sharing it with someone you trust and with God.
“There is a time for everything…a time to be silent and a time to speak”
(E
CCLESIASTES
3:1,7).
•
Deepen
your dependence on the Lord to set you free emotionally.
“In my anguish I cried to the L
ORD
, and he answered by setting me free”
(P
SALM
118:5).
Prayer for Healing
Dear Lord Jesus,
Help me to allow You to minister to my wounded heart.
I know that You understand my pain. And I know You have the power to make me whole.
Thank You for loving me.
Thank You that I can have confidence that You will set me free.
In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
“Heal me, O L
ORD
, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise”
D. Depression and the Whole Person(J
EREMIAH
17:14).
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The Three Parts of a Person
As portrayed below, every person is created with a tangible body, an intangible soul, and an intangible spirit, which makes us all
trichotomous
beings. As a tri-part (three-part) person, the following is true:
•
Your body
is your physical makeup (your flesh, bones, and blood)
•
Your soul
is your personality (your mind, will, and emotions)
•
Your spirit
is your innermost part that needs salvation, craves gratification of your deepest needs (for love, significance, and security), and, in the believer, houses the Holy Spirit
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