Depression

I have watched storms roll in… slowly creeping across the sky, moving in closer and closer. At first, you can’t hear them. Then, as they move closer, you begin to hear the distant rumble of thunder.

I have been awakened in the middle of the night to the sound of crashing thunder.  From a sound sleep, it echoes through my ears and vibrates through my bones as it jolts me from peaceful slumber.  At first, I struggle to calm my nerves.  Then I remember that I am surrounded by a Love that is bigger than those storm clouds.  And I feel a peace deep within my soul that can not be explained by mere words.

I have watched as those around me wade through life’s storms.  I have even gone through my unfair share of storms.  It is so easy to get caught up in the darkness that surrounds us during these difficult times. It is easy to believe the negative thoughts that are whispered in our ears; to believe that the darkness we are falling into is only going to get darker; and that there is no hope for escape.

These storms rattle you to your core.  They shake you and toss you around until you feel completely helpless and out of control. No matter how hard you try to run from the storm, it always seems to catch up with you.  It finds you, and pours down on you until you feel as if you will drown under the weight of it.  It rages against you as you try with all your might to fight it.

Sometimes, when you think the storm is about to relent, about to pass, it comes back even stronger.  It strikes you hard, blow after blow, when you are already down so low.  At one point, you may even feel that you will never see the sunshine again.  The darkness is too overwhelming, the storm is too strong, and you are too weak. But there is Strength waiting for you to cry out in the darkness.

When life pours down on you; when storms come one after another, it is easy to feel helpless and hopeless.  But one thing I have learned though all the storms of my life is that there is light behind those dark clouds.  Just as the sun shines behind the dark clouds, there is light behind the darkness we are in the midst of when tragedy, or trial, or life weighs down heavy on us.  There is Light waiting on the other side, waiting on the clouds to pass.

I have faced several of these overbearing storms in my life. I have weathered them all, but I can’t say I’ve weathered them all with my head held high. I can’t even say that I’ve weathered them all with my eyes on the One who gave me the strength I needed to survive. But the truth is that even when I turned my eyes away and allowed the storm to pull me deeper into its dark grasp, my heavenly Father was there lifting me up, and giving me the strength I needed to go on. If He hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have survived.

God is always there for us– whether it be in times of trouble, strife, and heartache; or times of joy, peace, and happiness.  He is always there.  He hurts with us.  He cries with us.  He grieves with us.  He smiles with us and He laughs with us.  He doesn’t send the storms, but he allows them… to prepare us for the plans He has for our future.  He allows them to shape us.  He allows them so we will lean on Him in our time of need.

“We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”  2 Corinthians 4:8,9

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will receive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.”  Psalm 138:7

He is loving, He is merciful, and He is full of grace.  He doesn’t want to see us suffer through the storms of our life.  He wants us to reach our hands to the sky and ask Him to help us weather the storms; to be our shield against the raging wind and rain that threatens to pull us under.

I have been below the water’s surface more times than I want to remember.  And I have seen the light through the darkness. I am living, breathing, walking, talking, reading, writing, blogging proof that God carries us through the hard times.  I have faced sexual abuse, teenage pregnancy, physical abuse, emotional abuse, drug use, alcohol abuse, adultery, depression, divorce, death, poverty, and many more storms in my life.  And I have risen above each and every one of them.  Not by seeking out some feel-good guru.  Not by any self-help measure.  I have weathered every storm life has thrown at me because God has always taken care of me. And I can face any storm that comes because I know He is here and will help me though it.

“Another day has almost come and gone,
Can’t imagine what else could go wrong.
Sometimes I’d like to hide away somewhere and lock the door.
A single battle lost but not the war.
Cause tomorrow’s another day, and I’m thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain.

It’s almost like the hard times circle ’round.
A couple drops and they all start comin down.
Yeah, I might feel defeated and I might hang my head,
I might be barely breathing, but I’m not dead.
Cause tomorrow’s another day, and I’m thirsty anyway,
So bring on the rain.

No I’m not gonna let it get me down.
I’m not cry, and I’m not gonna lose any sleep tonight.
Cause tomorrow’s another day, and I am not afraid,
So bring on the rain.”

Just as we all face the different seasons of life, we all face different storms in life. How you choose to ride out that storm determines how you will weather that storm. Don’t ride it out alone. Seek Him and He will calm the waters. There is no storm too fierce for the One Who created everything.

~~~~~
Credits: Images by (in order of use)- Dan, Prozac1, FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Graur Codrin. All from Free Digital Photos. Lyrics snippet from Bring on the Rain by Jo Dee Messina. Scripture quotes from New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc.