I have battled with depression over the years, and I just want to share some of the ways that I cope with it, that keeps me going in the Lord. I titled my article, “How To Cope With Depression,” instead of “How To Overcome Depression,” because it never completely goes away. Each day is a new day. Depression comes and goes.
The best thing that you can do to cope with depression is to GET BUSY FOR GOD! I redirect any negative mental energy into my website ministry. I have been at the lowest point in life that a person can go, even contemplating suicide several years ago. I bought two small barbeques and was ready to follow through with it, but decided to wait just one more day to see what happens. Things ever so gradually improved, but never a complete rebound. When my wife divorced me in 2006, it was downhill from there. I lost my stability, my home, my pets, my career, my self-confidence, my retirement, my happiness, et cetera.
The Bible says it is “not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18b). The solution to the problem was a wife for Adam. I have struggled much with loneliness living alone for the past 12 years. I have always been the type of person that likes to do things with someone. I love my alone time in between those times, because I am a loner by nature, but I don't like doing things by myself. I want to go out to eat with someone. I want to spent time with a loved one. I want to create happy memories with someone. It has been very difficult for me emotionally. I have never really recovered, still taking things one day at a time, but my faith in God sustains me. Yet, I am encouraged when I consider the apostle Paul, who also lived alone. If Paul could do it by God's grace, then so can I. Psalms 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
I have had difficulty finding a church family, being an independent fundamentalist Baptist. Most churches are neo-evangelical. The problem is not that I don't want to attend such a church until I can find something better; but rather, they cannot tolerate me. I am who I am. Luke 6:45b, “the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Pastors get upset with me because I am vocal about what is wrong with the modern Alexandrian-based Bible perversions, the heresy of Lordship Salvation, exposing John MacArthur and Ray Comfort as being false prophets, the false repentance taught in most religious tracts, et cetera. No one wants me...lol! My wife didn't want me. The churches don't want me. Thankfully, the Lord Jesus Christ wants me!!!
One thing I have learned the hard way in life, is that it is RARE for anybody to be there for you when you're down. I had no one! For both of my neck surgeries I was all alone (before, during and after). It was so overwhelmingly lonely and I endured inexplicable emotional trauma and grief. Much of it was caused by negligent, uncaring and even abuse medical staff. People have become very selfish, insensitive and unprofessional in this ungodly generation.
One of my faithful web visitors, a friend in Scotland, said something excellent to me in an e-mail the other day...
“Most people in life get through life quite well by NOT caring. As caring people, living in a heathen world that mostly cares about itself, blasphemes the Lord on a daily basis, we need to keep a watch on our heart, our feelings, thoughts, how we allow our heart to open and be affected by other people, sometimes, around certain people, especially at work, it appears we have to be on our guard, sadly. As soon as we care, we hurt, I think.”
I couldn't have said it any better. As soon as we care, we hurt. Yes, that is so true! The apostle Paul learned this truth painfully himself. 2nd Corinthians 12:15, “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.” The more that we love and care about other people and things that truly matter, the less that others will be able to reciprocate it without God in their life. One of the realities that I have had to reluctantly accept as a mature Christian and Baptist preacher is that 99% of the people I meet in life won't care and love as much as I do.
Please don't misunderstand when I say “mature,” I fully admit to being a struggling sinner just like anyone else. So did the apostle Paul (Romans 7:14-25). I do not claim to be a great Christian, but I have been saved for 37 wonderful years in the Lord. Jesus has made it worth it all!!! I can't even imagine what would have become of my life, when the dreadful times of loss, pain and heartbreak happened if I had not known the blessed presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit! God is a good Father!!!
Without the Lord's presence in my life, and my constant walk with Him, I wouldn't have made it. Literally, my ministry has kept me going through the rough times, losing myself in helping others in the Lord.
Take care of your body. If your body is unhappy, your mind and heart are going to be unhappy. In February of 2017 I weighed 215 pounds. I had stage 4 type II diabetes. My glucose was 9.8 mmol/L. My daily sugar reached as high as 399 mg/dl. My left foot started going numb from nerve damage from the diabetes. In addition, I have been afflicted by stenosis, radiculopathy and displaced disks in my neck since 2004. By God's grace, I decided to go on a crash diet beginning February 21, 2017. By June 15, 2017 I weighed only 145.0 pounds (on a completely empty stomach). Wow! I lost 70 pounds in just 4 months! I simply went walking when I could, a couple times a day as my health allowed. And I only ate 500 to 1,000 calories each day. Every third day I fasted, easting nothing. Sometimes I went four days, even five, but then I fasted for one day, eating nothing. That is the only way to lose weight quickly.
By June 2017 my type II diabetes was all gone. My glucose was now only 5.2 mmol/L. As of March 2018 I still weigh 150 pounds. I have fought a dietary battle not to gain back my old unwanted weight. I don't want diabetes again! My soul has been freed from much guilty for abusing my health, feeling like a loser for letting my health go, and deeper depression caused by eating comfort foods to cope with my original depression. Becoming obese only adds to depression. I am MUCH happier at 150 pounds than I was at 215 pounds! I can bounce out of bed. I feel light. I feel skinny. I like what I see in the mirror.
