Anxiety brings the weight of depression.
The anxiety in the heart of many young women—who have gone through a divorce and find themselves single mothers with the responsibility of raising their children—is overwhelming.
Depression becomes a heavy, dark oppression as anxiety wears through resolve and assets. Tears and needs are constant, and not enough time exists to get everything done. Darkened shadows beneath eyes become a part of their appearance, which happy thoughts refuse to chase away. Children’s questions such as “Why did daddy go away?” germinate in fractured hearts and grow more self-doubt and anxiety for the future. Depression’s weight robs what little self-respect and buoyancy remain.
Perhaps the most incapacitating quality of depression is that depression is like quicksand, which causes a person to sink further when a person attempts to escape. However, if someone throws a lifeline to the sinking person—and the frightened soul grabs onto and refuses to let go—they will be rescued from the mire.
A person stuck in the mire of depression will not drown if they relax and firmly grasp the Vine that is within reach. Trusting in their relationship with the Lord Jesus, they find hope, and courage begins to fill their frightened heart. It may take a period before they again stand on solid ground, and longer still to clean their muddy clothes by vigorous washing, but they have been saved from a tragic outcome and depression’s dark horizons.
Depression is a strength-robbing parasite that sucks plans and prospects from the souls of the afflicted. Also drained is strength and hope for the future. A blanket of hopelessness makes it almost impossible to hope. Cheer must be a possession before it can be shared with dull-eyed children. Then, along comes a good word from a friend or concerned neighbor, and a broken heart can find a few minutes of joy that provide a reprieve from a world of gloom and hopelessness. Without knowing it, that friend, along with Jesus, is throwing a lifesaving line that keeps a fractured soul from going down for the third time.
Look for those in need and throw lifelines to those who have no strength left.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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The Rev. Dr. Bob Segress served as a licensed psychological clinician for twenty-five years. Upon retiring, he served for fifteen years as a prison minister. Retiring again, he began writing full-time after a period of boredom. He has written: The Biblical Approach To Psychology while serving as a college educator, The Shelton Series, and, in 2012, Ten Years Inside Shelton Prison. Currently, he writes for several publications such as Halo Magazine.