Holy Ghostwriter

I’ve posted this before, but maybe someone needs it again besides me.

What do Moses, Elijah, David, Solomon, and Paul have in common? Besides having powerful experiences in God’s presence, they all went through times of depression. It may feel as if you’re alone in your discouragement, but please know you’re not.

God’s presence—his grace, joy, peace, kindness, wisdom, strength, faith, hope, and love—is greater than every lie, offense, and fear. I know there are many kinds and sources of depression, but no matter where the debilitating drain on your thoughts and feelings is coming from, allowing yourself to feel God’s presence is the best next step to living as the person he says you really are.

Instead of trying to fix your own heart again—or numbing it and locking it away—look for how God wants to love it. Look for who he wants to be for you in and through this. He knows who you are, what you’ve been going through, who you can become, and what you need to get there.

If your heart and mind keep getting sucked into dwelling on what’s gone wrong, or stressing over everything else that could, then those fears get to write the story of your life. Don’t let outer voices become your inner narrative, or outer circumstances become your inner life. Let the “author and completer of your faith” write your day with all the faith, hope, and love you need.

“You are not done, and you are not alone— there’s a multitude cheering you on! So lay down every weight that’s not yours to carry, and any sins trying to keep you from moving forward, and run your race with the strength and perseverance that comes from looking to Jesus, the author and completer of your faith” (Hebrews 12:1–2, paraphrase).