“When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” James 1:2 NLT

 This thing called “joy” was always an enigma to me. I heard people talk of it. It has been said that happiness and joy are not the same thing. I knew what happiness was. I did not know what joy was, but I knew this was not it.

Depression ran long and deep in my family, and though I tried, I could not escape its grip. It slipped in and caught me unaware. It was like a mold: I never saw it coming and no matter what I did, it might lessen temporarily, but I couldn’t seem to make it leave permanently and regain my former unblemished life.

“As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7 (NLV)

I knew from my nearly two decades of work as a clinical psychologist that our thoughts have a very powerful effect on our beliefs and our behaviors.  I very much disliked giving my patients diagnoses, because too often I saw them use those labels as excuses rather than explanations or motivations for change.

Our responses directly influence the outcome

We often cannot control what happens to us, but we can control our response or our reactions. And our responses directly influence the outcome.

When I was struggling with depression, I remembered hearing myself respond to someone’s question, “I didn’t have a choice.” As the words effortlessly flowed across my lips, not a millisecond later my body reflexively shuddered. It was as if my mind, my mouth, and my heart knew that there had been a seismic disconnect in that exchange.

There came a point when I had to face myself in the mirror and decide how I was going to respond.

Was I going to let depression define me? Was I a depressed person or was I a person experiencing depression?

Did I truly want joy bad enough to seek after it, or was I going to continue to believe the lie that I was a victim of my circumstances?

Taking responsibility

I had worked with enough patients, and I had seen enough different scenarios play out with various friends and family members to know…. It was my choice.  To a very large extent, I had to take responsibility for the outcome.

Rather than keeping my eyes on my problems and getting lulled into self-pity parties which I had never seen accomplish anything but make depression worse, I had to determine to keep my eyes on Him.

Don’t let me fool you…it wasn’t always easy.  Some days were so painful and hard…it made me wonder if maybe some of us (me) were just joy-immune.

But that was just another lie of the enemy…a lie I had believed for far too long. And I was finally sick of it.  I deserved better than that! My Savior died so that I could have better than that!

“I have told you these things so that you can have the same joy I have and so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy!” (John 15:11 New Century Version, emphasis mine)

That means it’s possible for me to not just experience joy, but to have a joy-filled life. And for you tooGod said it. It’s true.  Do you believe it?

Journey from depression into joy

The Lord began to impress upon my heart that Thanksgiving is the Doorway to Joy.

For an extended period of time, it seemed that I repeatedly came across the verse, “I will worship you, and offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 116:17 Living). But it always struck me with a twinge of curiosity. A sacrifice of thanksgiving?

The more I reflected and “medicated” on this verse, the more I realized that when we come to God with a thankful heart, we are offering a sacrifice.  At least momentarily, we sacrifice our desires in exchange for what He deserves. We sacrifice our pride as we recognize His majesty.  We sacrifice our attitude of self-sufficiency, as we humble ourselves and acknowledge His sovereignty. We come before him with gratitude and praise, recognizing that He is the one who provides all blessings. Without His provision, we literally would have nothing. It is a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

Slowly, bit by bit, day by day, I began to appreciate this more and more. I became more determined to seek God, and praise him and thank Him in advance for His answers.  I was going to “speak of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past.” (Romans 4:17b)

I would no longer define myself as a depressed person. No! I AM joyful! And in doing so, it fostered a joy-producing mindset, not a joy-reducing mindset.

It’s been a journey, and I’m still learning. And though at times the journey has been so very hard, I am thankful for the lessons He has taught me, and continues to teach me along the way. I am most especially grateful for the journey from depression into joy.

What has helped your journey from depression into joy?

 

 

Depression doesn’t have to become a permanent part of life.

There is hope.

Depression doesn't have to become a permanent part of life. There is hope. Hope Prevails and Hope Prevails Bible Study.

Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression and the companion Hope Prevails Bible Study help the reader understand how depression comes to be, recover their joy, reclaim their peace, and re-establish their true identity, while knowing their worth, remembering their secure destiny, and being confident that nothing separates them from God’s love.

Hope Prevails and the Hope Prevails Bible Study are must-reads for anyone suffering from depression or knows someone suffering from depression.

“There are many fine, worthy, and insightful books written about depression, but in my view, Dr. Bengtson’s trumps them all. Our first step of making it to the other side of the valley of depression may well be falling into the competent and compassionately written words of this God-honoring book: ‘Hope Prevails.’” ~ from the foreword by MARILYN MEBERG, Women of Faith speaker and author of Constantly Craving

 

When someone is depressed, they have a choice to make: to either let depression define them or to desire joy bad enough to seek after it with obedience and sacrifice. Jesus offered us the same joy he had; the fullest possible joy. This journey from depression into joy can be very hard, but if we want joy bad enough, we will seek after it. Read more for how to shift your mindset to lead a joy-filled life.

153 Shares
Share130
Tweet
Pin23
Share
Email
%d