Saint Luke's Lutheran Church

To say that life has its ups and downs is trite, but it's also very true. When Elijah said, "It is enough. Now, O Lord, take my life," he was depressed. The EXPERIENCE of depression - if not the word itself is Biblical. The psalm writers prayed, "out of the depths I cry unto you, O Lord." "Why are you cast down, O my soul and why are you disquieted within me?" Even Jesus told his disciples "my soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death." From a cross he cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

IF THE SON OF GOD EXPERIENCED DEPRESSION, THEN DEPRESSION IS NOT SIN IN ITSELF. We are not at fault, when trouble disturbs us, when our body chemistry changes or we experience an unknown burden that defies description. When we are depressed, the last thing in the world that we need is a guilt trip because of it. Depression is a FEELING and feelings are neutral. They are neither good nor bad. They just ARE! Even as St. Paul in the epistle for today say, "Be angry and do not sin!" Today I would urge you, "Be DEPRESSED and sin not!"

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MENTAL HEALTH DEFINES DEPRESSION THIS WAY: "Depression is an emotional state of dejection and sadness, ranging from MILD discouragement and down-heartedness to feelings of UTTER hopelessness and despair." In its milder forms it can lead to a "downer day." In its more serious form it becomes a crippling dysfunction that can afflict your WHOLE being for years. As Elijah's experience would teach us, depression is often a reaction to something. Its cause can be quite evident. DEATH brings a season of depression to those who survive and mourn the passing of a loved one. Job loss or deeply unsettling events can trigger depression. In recent memory the events of 9-11, 2001 in New York City, Washington DC and Pennsylvania brought grief, remorse and regret to our whole nation. Fear, anger, lust, gluttony or just plain stubbornness can bring on depression. ANYthing that causes us to be ashamed of our conduct can bring a brush with depression.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION? Often depression is marked by feelings of personal inadequacy or self-pity. Someone injured us deeply with a complaint or criticism in the present or the past. Whatever that may have been, it evokes feelings of worthlessness or being "good for nothing." Have you ever felt that way? When depressed, people often want to withdraw from other people. Elijah not only fled from Jezebel in the face of threatened death. He fled from the WHOLE of Israel. Both God and the angels confronted him, when he was alone and feeling even more ALONE. Depression can be so intense that ALL one thinks about is dying. "Let THEM -- those who are troubling me be sorry; when I'm not here any more." Have you ever had such thoughts? I know that I have. So did Elijah. He dragged himself into a cavern, which he thought would soon become his tomb. He asked God to let him die. ----- When difficulties arise and danger threatens; we may find ourselves feeling as did Elijah. You may have struggled with a worthwhile goal, but things went poorly. At such times we may feel -- usually in error -- that ALL is lost.

GOD'S RESPONSE TO ELIJAH IS MOST INTERESTING. He didn't sit down with Elijah, hold his hand, sympathize with him; agree with him that it's rough, when no one is there to support you. He didn't even commiserate with him in his sense of being alone and dejected. God had quite another word for his depressed prophet: "Elijah, get back to work! GO, Eli, GO!" He was to anoint two new kings: one in Judah and one in Samaria and a prophet to take his place as a prophet. When despair and self-pity threaten to move in on us; GOD is there to call us to our tasks that remain undone. He comes to tell us that we are not as alone as we thought. To carry out God's commands Elijah would be supported by the memory ---- not by some tornado or lightning shower ---- not even by a shattering earthquake. He had experienced all these things. He would be supported by a quiet, pervasive voice. It's the kind of voice that whispers, "I am with you always even unto the end of the world!"

GOD IS WITH YOU. THEREFORE, GET BUSY! A friend took a class in upholstering. On a bad day at the office, he went home early to work on his chair. He said, "I had a need to succeed." An old grandmother gave this advice, "When you're feeling down, bake a batch of bread." She was a GOOD bread baker. OTHERS might cause her to feel terrible and useless, but her BREAD baking gave silent testimony, "You have a real talent here!" -- WHAT are the things that you do really well? Are they athletic, artistic, crafts, social or musical? When confronted with depression, DO one or more of these things! I find that when I feel depressed, I know what I need to do. I need to get out and be with people. When I can be of help to someone else, it also helps me. -- A FATHER was grieving the loss of his son in death. In his depression he sought the aid of a psychiatrist. Among other things that he told the man the psychiatrist asked him, "Are there things around the house that need doing?" "Oh yes, lots of them. He had felt unable to do any of them for months. The psychiatrist told him to make a LIST of them. The next day he was to work on the very first item and stay with it until it was finished. Then he was to tackle the second item and so forth. The next day he didn't feel like doing anything on the list. It was, however, the Doctor's prescription. He would try it. By the middle of the day he found himself singing for the first time in months. He completed the list and made another. He completed that list and began looking around for things to do. He became a volunteer in the community. He literally WORKED his way out of depression. MEANINGFUL achievement gives the lie to that feeling of not being good enough.

TAKE THE WAY UP FROM DEPRESSION. When depression attacks you, dare to ask a few questions. First, is the feeling in accord with reality? Maybe it isn't! Elijah felt that he was ALONE in his faithfulness to God. The reality was that there were 7000 faithful in Israel. Maybe YOUR environment at present or in the past has been like fun-house reflections of yourself. Only you KNOW that it is the mirror that is giving you that long head, SHORT legs or the HUGE middle. Such feedback is obviously wrong. The MIRROR is lying; and you know it's lying. Not as obvious, however, the environment can give us distorted feedback on who and what we are. Second question: Has my recent experience tripped a land mine of previous experience? Memory of previously painful experiences can really hit us not only with what just happened but also with painful experiences from the past. You will not be able to change or erase those old recordings in your memory. You CAN, however, turn those old tapes to OFF. Don't listen to that old garbage. You are a far better person than those speakers in the past said you were. Third question: Has the present distress come to CHALLENGE you to rise above it? ---- Depression is not an end in itself. Nor need it be your last experience in life. Once you have been criticized by experts without going down in defeat you KNOW that you are ready for whatever life has to thrown at you. Even when we feel ourselves sinking in a sea of confusion, God comes to throw us a lifeline of courage and strength.

GOD CAME TO US DYNAMICALLY IN THE PERSON OF HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST. God did not seem to be a human being. He became one of us. He lived a perfect life here on earth, making it in those very areas where we have failed. He took our lumps and carried our sorrows. He took our sins and died in our place. On the third day he was raised from the dead that we might start each day in a NEW way. Christ has forgiven you. God has ACCEPTED you. Forget those old sins and short-comings -- your own and those of others -- that have been holding you back. Concentrate on Christ. See yourself - NOT in those fun house mirrors society seeks to impose on you. SEE yourself as God sees you in Jesus Christ. Be of good cheer! God LOVES you! In Jesus Christ God APPROVES of you. If other people approve of you, that's a beautiful. It's a bonus! If NOT, you already have the approval of the ONE Person, Who really matters -- GOD, Himself! -- Then when you're UP FROM DEPRESSION, reach out to someone else. Be a helper! People who are mired in a sea of depression, dejection and self-pity NEED help from beyond themselves to come up to a level playing field --- not to mention climbing to one of the many highs in life. Amen.