Perhaps the most common response people with anxiety and depression get from others when they bring it up is this: “Just move on. Deal with it and move on.” There seems to be this expectation that, like most people, those dealing with mental disorders have some masterful ability to control their emotions.
This is far from true.
At this very moment, I am depressed. In the past 12 hours, I’ve experienced immense anxiety. And I can’t seem to push it away. I’m trying to deal with the emotions, the anxiety and the depression, but it doesn’t seem to leave. I’ve prayed, I’ve thought about biblical truth, I’ve listened to worship music. I’ve done everything I can think to do, and I’m still in this rut.
One of the most difficult questions that people like me – Christians who struggle with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety – face is this: how do we relate to God when our emotions are so far out of order?
Far too often in the Church today, in modern Christian culture, we talk about the stirring of the emotions, of the affections, for God. We should be in awe of His power. We should be amazed by His grace. We should be joyfully overwhelmed by His love. We should be avoiding worry, stress, doubt. We should be “on fire” for God.
All these “should” statements sound great on the surface.
But these are all statements based in a controlling of the emotions and directing them in a certain place. For some of us, that’s not so easy.
There are many blog posts, articles and even books dedicated to how to pursue God when He “feels far away.” But what if He always feels far away? What if we feel so distant from Him every single day?
As someone who deals with anxiety and depression, I’m constantly battling my feelings. I have a tendency to feel sad or feel bad. How I often interpret this is an assumption that God is unhappy with me and I must do something good to feel better, which is a sign that God is happy with me. So often that’s how we all interpret our feelings.
An article on Christianity Today about not feeling close to God said this:
So, next time you don’t “feel” like a Christian, do a gut check. Go to God and ask, “Have I sinned against you?” (See Psalm 139:23-24.) If you determine your bad feelings are a result of sin, ask God to forgive you. And ask the Holy Spirit to help you go on walking with God.
And think about those times when you’re on fire for God. What are you doing during those times that gives you joy? You’re probably reading your Bible, spending time in prayer, hanging out with Christians, going to Bible studies, telling others about your faith.
These are the kinds of things you need to do regularly and consistently. As you do, I think you’ll experience fewer and fewer roller-coaster rides and that fire will burn stronger all the time.
For a Christian dealing with depression and anxiety on a regular basis, the rules are a little different. Studying the Bible and praying don’t necessarily help. Heck, when I’m depressed, I don’t want to do those things. All I want to do is stay in bed, play video games, watch Netflix, and waste away in a heap of self-pity.
It’d be so easy for someone to say to me: “Just push through.” So easy to say when you’re not in the midst of it. And most of the time that’s what I find myself doing because there are not many people who want to dive in and help those of us who are struggling with these things.
So how do I follow Jesus?
There is an emotional side to our faith, true. God can use our emotions to lead us to a place where we are in desperate need of Him or where we’re overjoyed at His provision in our lives. But nowhere in Scripture does it say we have ultimate control over our emotions. Nowhere does it say where we need to have our emotions always attuned properly. In several places, the New Testament instructs us to be “sober-minded,” which means to not be led by our emotions.
What the Bible does tell us to do is to bank on truth all the time. The Bible itself is truth and gives us plenty of pieces of truth to hold onto.
But for those of us with anxiety and depression, it’s a lifelong fight. One worth fighting. But it’s exhausting. It’s tiring. It’s overwhelming. It’s not simply as easy as read your Bible, pray a prayer, go to church. Some days are awful.
I wish I could end this with a happy ending, but not everything is happy.
God gives us grace and love all day, every day. This truth is beautiful and hope-giving.
But joy isn’t as easy to find. Especially when you don’t feel it. And I know joy isn’t necessarily a feeling. But it’s hard to have that attitude, especially when you don’t feel it.
By A Ransomed Soul 
The most common response I got during my depression was “happiness is a choice”. Drove me crazy hearing that. I’ve heard harsher things though – some from people I respect.
It’s hard to explain to people who’ve never gone through it what it is like to experience crippling emotions.
I’ve gone through it. Things do get better. Just hold on. God bless you!
Thanks for the encouragement! I’m with you, it’s so hard. But it’s worth fighting through, I’m finding.
I’m late to this party, Mr. Horner, but Amen. As someone who must be ever-vigilant about her tendencies to depression and anxiety, it’s sad how often the church suggests that we experience those struggles because our relationship with Christ isn’t where it should be. I have never felt “on fire for God” or even been able to imagine what that would look like. Heck, I never felt *certain* that I have a good relationship with God the way some Christians do. I can only ever do my best to follow Jesus’ example and trust that the relationship is there. I have learned from a good counselor the particular habits I have to cultivate to be as healthy as I can (exercise, a better diet, interrupting the flow of my thinking deliberately when it gets on a bad loop, forcing myself to engage with others socially even when I’d rather isolate myself, etc.) . If you are a reader, let me suggest a few books that have helped me immensely with depression and anxiety. The first is Dennis Prager’s _Happiness Is a Serious Problem_ . My Sunday School class is working its way through his book and it has led to lively discussion and a lot of shared encouragement. Being happy is more work than it sounds like. Also check out Kathleen Norris’ _Acedia and Me_. The ancients had *a lot* to say about the fight against depression and anxiety and the wisdom of their perspective has been very helpful to me in viewing it as, at least in part, a spiritual struggle. Finally, _Where the Roots Reach for Water_ by Jeffery Smith provides a unique perspective about how having depressive tendencies can be useful (though unpleasant).