One mistake that families and friends can make in the early stages of depression is to make all the effort themselves. It is a noble sacrifice, but you can’t walk that way for long. You can read to, pray for, exhort, and express love in many ways to depressed people, but you can’t drag them to your goals. Your destination must be a shared goal. The end goal is Christ. The near goals are sometimes infinitesimally small steps that bring structure to an existence that can feel aimless. Structure refers to boundaries, guidelines, accountability, reminders, and organized plans. The principle is
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