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Tribune Content Agency
How can I replace the sorrow of dark shadows with sunshine and happiness?Jan 4, 2019 |
| From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: I am committed to living a happier life in the New Year in spite of my disabilities. I certainly don’t want a repeat of the year that is drawing to an end. I didn’t do so well in overcoming days of depression. How can I replace the sorrow of dark shadows with sunshine and happiness? — D.S. A: A happy life is not one filled only with sunshine, but one which uses both light and shadow to produce beauty. All the masterpieces of art contain both light and shadow. The greatest musicians as a rule are those who know how to bring song out of sadness. Fanny Crosby, her spirit aglow with faith in Christ many years ago, saw more with her sightless eyes than most do with normal vision. She has given us some of the great songs of the church that cheer our hearts and lives. Joni Eareckson Tada, a bright-eyed and talented woman, has lifted spirits of children and adults through sharing her joy in the midst of suffering. The self-sacrifice of God’s people through the centuries has contributed immeasurably to our culture, to our ethics. And to our faith. Down deep we know that there are still things worth dying for, that an existence void of faith is still a fate worse than death. In the words of Thornton Wilder, an American playwright and novelist, who once wrote: “The very angels of God in heaven cannot persuade the wretched and blundering children of earth as can one human being broken on the wheels of living.” These are words worth pondering. But more important is to look into the Word of God — the Bible. This book will satisfy your greatest longing. ======== (This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.) (c)2019 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC. From Dr. Michelle Bengtson: |
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Have you ever heard the saying, “knowledge is power?” What about the lack of knowledge? What if you just don’t know what you don’t know?
That’s how I would describe my experience with depression. I just didn’t understand until I went through it myself.
For years in my neuropsychology practice, I treated patients who suffered with depression. Once I experienced depression myself, I understood the pain, the despair, and the agony firsthand. My compassion for my patients increased exponentially.
In the course of my own treatment, I tried everything I had suggested for my patients over the years. They weren’t enough to make a dent in the heartache of my soul.
What was missing?
In my darkest days of depression, I found out I didn’t have all the answers. I felt shame because I was the doctor who was supposed to have all the answers. I even treated patients for depression and discovered I didn’t have all the answers. When I tried the treatments, I discovered they helped, but they were not enough for me to overcome.
When I walked through the dark valley of depression, I despaired. I didn’t want to get out of the bed. I wouldn’t wish those deep, dark days on anybody.
In those days of despair, God met me and spoke into my heart.
He gave me the truths I could use to fight depression by combatting the lies the enemy had been whispering into my heart. Believing those lies had put me into the valley of despair to begin with.
These same truths helped me overcome depression. Now, I stand on those truths from God’s word to keep me from going back into that pit.
In my award-winning book, “Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey through Depression” and my “Hope Prevails Bible Study,” I help readers understand what depression is, show how it affects them spiritually, and what, by God’s grace, it cannot do. I offer the hope that is available for living the abundant life. The result is a treatment plan that addresses the whole person—not just chemical imbalances in the brain.
For those who struggle with depression and those that want to help them, “Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey through Depression” offers real hope for the future.
I’m celebrating because this week marks the one-year anniversary of the release of the ““Hope Prevails Bible Study.”
Because of Him, #HopePrevails!
Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Additional Depression Resources:
For a Free eBook on How to Help a Depressed Loved One, click here: How to Help a Depressed Loved One eBook.
For more helpful information about what you need to know when you have a depressed loved one, read here: https://drmichellebengtson.com/10-things-to-know-if-you-have-a-depressed-loved-one/
For more about what not to say to a depressed loved one, read here: https://drmichellebengtson.com/what-not-to-say-when-a-loved-one-is-depressed/ while here are suggestions about supportive things you can say to a depressed loved one: https://drmichellebengtson.com/what-to-say-when-a-loved-one-is-depressed/
To learn more about “Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression,” Dr. Bengtson’s book, see: https://drmichellebengtson.com/hope-prevails-book.
And, for the Bible Study, see: https://drmichellebengtson.com/hope-prevails-bible-study/.