The War of the Emotions:

Straight AheadI am always a little bit surprised when I realize the number of people who are fighting serious emotional battles every day. As I have become more and more involved with email and Internet contacts, I am more and more aware of people who are getting treatment for depression, seeing therapists regularly, or who are constantly beset with dark thoughts of grief, hopelessness, or fear. I am astonished at how many people endured severe situations in their childhood that have led to some of these problems in adult life. It saddens me to think of the number of people who are so overwhelmed by such emotional struggles that they can hardly even watch the evening news without being overcome by thoughts of sadness and gloom. Even the day-to-day tasks that many of us take for granted bring many people to the emotional breakingpoint. Of course, there are many people whose depression stems from factors such as chemical imbalances within their body, physical disability, or illness. It must also be acknowledge that for many, the depression and hopelessness are affected by financial or other hardships. I am not criticizing these people. To be sure, there are cases where we might be tempted to say to a person who is in the throes of such emotional agonies, "Move on! Get over it! Get out and do something with your life. Open a new chapter." In some cases, such directness might be appropriate. I am convinced, however, that for most of these people, what is needed is genuine love and understanding. As helpful as professional counseling is, there are situations that require more time and genuine personal concern than traditional counseling situations are prepared to offer. For the Christian whose confidence and faith rest in the awareness of a sovereign and loving God, some are tempted to say that such periods of depression should never occur. After all, they argue, if we recognize that God is in control and has a plan for our lives, what is the point of being depressed or feeling hopeless? The answer to that, of course, is that we are human. We are weak and fallen creatures, living in a world dominated by sin. We are vulnerable to pain and suffering, just as non-Christians are. We know the truth, and yet, we still have to fight our own emotional and spiritual warfare. I face my own discouragements. These discouragements are brought on sometimes by the ways I have to deal with my blindness, by disappointments in ministry, by concerns about the health of loved ones, by the situations I see around me in the churches I pastor, and by a host of other factors. I am not necessarily any more spiritual or any stronger than other people. Perhaps the stress of life truly is greater today than in past generations in some strange ways. Obviously, we have ways of treating emotional problems today that were not available in past years. There certainly may come a time that I need some kind of professional help to deal with an especially dark period in my life. For now, I can say that my heart truly goes out to all those who feel so alone in the world, and who are enduring such overwhelming emotional struggles. The statistics I hear regularly about the millions of depressed persons sadden me greatly. As God provides opportunity, I hope to be able to make life more bearable for some of these people on a personal level. For the rest, I offer my sincere prayers and compassion. My major consolation and comfort is that the ultimate outcome of all things is in God's hands, and His perfect goodness and glorious plan for creation will triumph in the end. This is a certainty; but it doesn't mean that the journey to that glorious conclusion will be painless.