Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness

by Edward T. Welch

Deep change is rarely a matter of knowledge. It is a matter of repentance. We have chosen a path apart from God; repentance is the process of turning back. We have chosen a different story, filled with subtle lies about God, questioning his love, care and compassion. Repentance means to renounce our story and believe that there is only one Storyteller. God alone is authorized to interpret our lives.

Learn to say “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20). This reminds you that your hope is in a person, and such a hope is certain. His response is, “Yes, I am coming soon” (Rev. 22:20). What is your plan for growing in hope?

Joy takes our attention off ourselves and places it on God and all the things that have God as their source—things that are true, noble, right, pure, and lovely (Phil. 4:8).

When we come before God, thankfulness begins by knowing that we are spiritually destitute. We are sinners who can’t help but sin, and we deserve God’s eternal rejection. God then pursues us, opens our eyes to his grace and mercy, and satisfies our deepest needs and spiritual thirsts. Our lot improves immensely. We in turn are forever thankful.

Joy is not the opposite of suffering. If it were, a person practiced in joy could crowd out pain because one couldn’t exist with the other. Instead, joy can actually be a companion to suffering.

The joy in this case is not a denial of pain. It is joy that something wonderful is taking place. The person in trials has the opportunity to observe faith being refined, perseverance developed, and maturity attained.

boredom is a form of pride. The bored person is too cool to be moved by the ordinary or popular.

To have joy, you must be willing to look for it. You must be willing to welcome joy rather than feel like you are betraying your depression by looking for it. (And it is true—looking for joy is a betrayal of depression.)

We were betting that there was no beauty—in God or anything else—but there is. So start with confession and repentance.

Joy ... consists in the sweet entertainment their minds have in the view or contemplation of the divine and holy beauty of these things [the character of God], as they are in themselves. And this is the main difference between the joy of the hypocrite and the joy of the true saint. The former rejoices in himself ... the latter rejoices in God.

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. (Zeph. 3:17)

True joy comes when we learn to enjoy the things that God enjoys.

Since his love is dependent on himself rather than on you, you are not in danger of being unloved on those days when you feel utterly faithless.