About six months into my time as pastor at Island Pond, I preached about depression. I had no idea how much positive feedback it would receive! Not because I did an amazing job presenting the topic, but simply because I talked about such a timely issue from a reasonable yet biblical point of view. This is an issue that impacts many people and sadly is not discussed enough in the church.
With that in mind, I want to address those who are struggling with depression and/or anxiety. Maybe you don’t struggle with it personally, but chances are you know someone who is! Either way, this is an important issue for you to think through carefully.
1) If you struggle, you are not unspiritual.
The temptation is for people to think, “I am struggling with depression, so I must not be focusing on God enough.” Now it is possible that your depression might be because of that. Perhaps you are drifting spiritually and your life is feeling wayward. People in those situations can be depressed! There is no better, more satisfying, more peaceful place to be than in close intimacy with God, so those who are not there will likely feel like something is missing.
Having just said all that, there are a million reasons a person can become depressed or anxious. External circumstances can cause issues. Internal chemical imbalances can cause issues. Past trauma can cause issues. Job stress, children stress, and all sorts of other stress can cause it. Simply put, there are many reasons a person can become depressed or anxious.
None of these latter issues means you are unspiritual. It means something is wrong in your life that needs to be addressed.
Let us also not forget that many of the great spiritual leaders of our time struggled with depression. Charles Spurgeon, one of the great pastors and writers of recent history, had difficult periods of depression. John Bunyan, Martin Luther, and many others struggled severely, yet they were lightyears ahead of any of us spiritually. Depression does not make unspiritual.
2) There has been some bad teaching out there on this topic.
I have personally listened to some very bad teaching from pastors and Christian leaders on the topic of depression and anxiety. I remember hearing one pastor tell people that if they have enough faith, God will heal them. So to take depression medicine is to lack faith. He encouraged people to stop taking their medicine.
After I talked about depression at Island Pond two years ago, I can’t tell you how many people came and told me something similar to this: “Pastor, our pastor from XYZ Church told us that we should not take depression medicine!”
I generally try to be nice to people, but can I say that this is just pure ignorance and a very poor interpretation of Scripture?
I believe the Bible is pro-medication. We always start out by turning to God and asking for his healing upon our lives. But if he chooses not to heal us, then it is not bad to turn to medication for help after that.
In Proverbs 31:6-7, the writer recommends giving alcohol to those who are terminally ill to help them with their misery. They didn’t have morphine back then, so alcohol was the popular drug. Why didn’t he just tell people to ask God for a healing if taking medicine was bad?
In 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul recommends to Timothy that he drink a little wine to help his stomach issues. Again, they didn’t have heartburn or ulcer medicine back then. But Paul is essentially saying, “If your stomach hurts, take medicine!” One would think that of all people, Paul the man of faith would just say, “Pray for God to heal you!” And he likely did, but since God did not heal, Paul told him to take some medication.
Elsewhere, Paul says, “’I have the right to do anything,’ you say–but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’–but not everything is constructive” (1 Cor. 10:23). In Jesus Christ, we have an enormous amount of freedom! Not everything is beneficial, but neither are we bound to a set of unwritten rules that the most spiritual people avoid medication.
3) You are not unspiritual to take medication.
With that in mind, I encourage you to approach the idea of medication with an open mind. Don’t let stereotypes or bad teachings on the subject prevent you from considering it.
Now please hear me out: I am not saying everyone should take medication. I am not saying that medication will solve all your problems. I am simply saying that if you continue to struggle with depression or anxiety, and you have asked God for help without any dramatic changes, then go to a doctor or counselor and have a conversation of your struggles. Maybe with the help of a good Christian counselor, you will be able to address issues without the need of medication. Or maybe he/she will recommend you get on medication. I don’t know! But the worst thing you can do for yourself is think, “I am a Christian so I should not take medication.”
If you have a heart attack should the doctor not intervene and give you medicine? If you get pneumonia should the doctor not prescribed you antibiotics? So why, if you are continuing to struggle with depression or anxiety, would you not consider medication in this case?
4) It will get better.
Let me close with this: It will get better! I know when you are in the middle of depression it does not feel like it, but this is the wonder of Christianity. No matter how bad things are, here on this earth, we have hope to know that one day things will get better!
One day, God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. One day all the pain and suffering (and depression) will be gone! So I encourage you to keep that in mind as you go through the difficult times in life. It will get better!
Stay focused on Christ. Grow in your intimacy with him. But if you continue to struggle with depression, then by all means, get help. And in the midst of all this, remember: It will get better!