PrintThe Subtlety of Depression.
Depression is a very subtle reality. It slips so easily from one of its many disguises to another. It is very adept at avoiding being called by its own name; depression. It manifests itself in all of us from time to time. Some more than others. Some MUCH more than others!
Unnoticed at first, depression can ease itself into our daily lives and become our close companion without our knowledge or permission. It then begins to tamper with our minds and life perspective in such subtle ways that we soon forget what life was like before this "invasion by stealth".
I'm depressed. Not chronically in the sense that I'm rendered virtually useless by depression. No, I'm depressed in a "low level" sense. I still have meaning and purpose in life. I have goals I want to achieve. I get up each day with some sense of anticipation. I go to bed each night (usually) with some sense of accomplishment – no matter how small.
But those levels of anticipation and accomplishment are considerably less than they could be or used to be. And the changes have happened almost imperceptibly. I feel like I've been robbed by stealth. There's no sense of violation. Just loss. What alerted me to this theft? The missing song.
I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the LORD. (Ps 40:1-3 NLT)
One of the first signs that depression had begun to exert its influence in my life was the absence of the music in my heart. It occurred to me that my heart doesn't sing much anymore. That has to be one of the early warning signs of the creeping encroachment of depression.
Lord, would you give me a new song to sing as a hymn of praise to you, my God. Let the music begin to flow once again. Let the joy of the Lord be my strength rather than the presence of depression be my companion.
