The
Plan
God
made everything for a purpose. Even those things we perceive as
“bad”. The larvae of flies, clean up waste products. Fevers kill
invading germs. They are even finding that the waves of chicken pox
that children went through each year kept adults from getting
shingles, a much worse disease. When God created us, He knew we would
live in a fallen world, so he equipped us with defenses to help us
overcome.
If
a general perceives that his army is loosing a battle, he will call
for a retreat. He pulls back, gives his men a chance to rest,
rethinks his strategy and tries to gather re-enforcement and
supplies. A retreat can be a good thing, but if he stays in retreat,
he will loose the war.
Depression
is a God given, physical response to trauma that allows us to pull
back, rest, regroup, gather resources and focus on the problem at
hand. Depression can be a good thing, but God does not intend for you
to stay there.
The
mind is like the earth. If you walk over it once, there is little
evidence you were ever there. However if you take the same path over
and over again, it becomes a well established path. Eventually, it
can become a deep rut that you fall into and need help getting out.
This is when depression becomes a trap.
The
number one priority to overcome depression is to retrain your brain.
Instead of going down that path every time those negative thoughts
float by, you have to consciously choose to go a different way.
The
revelation that changed my life was that I had the ability to choose
my thoughts! In fact, I have a duty to choose my thoughts! I'm not
sure if this idea had never been presented to me before, or if I just
hadn't caught it, but I honestly thought that every thought that came
into my brain was something I had to listen to. Amazing!
But
how do you do that??? Think about an elephant. What kind of a tail
does it have? What color is it? How are it's feet shaped? How does it
sound? How big are it's ears?
Now,
don't think about an elephant … I said, DON'T think about an
elephant. Don't think about an elephant!
Were
you able to not think about elephants? Unless you know the secret,
there is no way you can do it.
Now,
think about a kitten. Think about how soft it is. Think about how a
kitten loves to play with yarn or chase a bug. How does it sound?
Are
you thinking about an elephant now? No, because you replaced that
thought with another one.
Over
the next seven weeks, we will practice ways to retrain your brain.
This will involve every aspect of your life, spiritual, mental,
physical, emotional, social, career and finances.
When
using a new recipe, a good cook will often has to make some
decisions. She asks, “Do I have this ingredient?” and if not,
“Can I get it or make substitutions?” “Are there ingredients I
want to make substitutions or adjustments for?” (such as honey for
sugar or using less salt). Once these decisions are made, the cook
will gather the ingredients and try the recipe. It may not work well.
If it doesn't and she still wants to make the recipe, she will go
over everything that she did to see what might be improved the next
time she tries it. Sometimes it may take several tries before she
gets it right, or she may decide that recipe just isn't for her.
Seven
Weeks to a Happier You
is like a recipe. God created each of us uniquely. What works for one
person may not work for another person. As you go through the 7
weeks, ask God how to make it work for you and what substitutions or
adjustments you need to make. Once you have made these decisions, you
have to make the commitment to follow the plan all the way through.
If the cook only puts the flour and the yeast together when making
bread and quits, the bread never gets made. You may find that you get
sidetracked while in this process. Don't get discouraged! Just go
back and try again!
Warning:
If
you are on meds for depression, do not quit taking them without
consulting your doctor. Many
drugs have severe withdrawal symptoms. Quitting cold turkey could
derail your attempt to conquer depression and could even kill you.
Unless you are 100% sure that God has told you to get off them now,
don't do it!
Many
years ago, I started learning about how Jesus took 39 stripes on His
back. Through His wounds, the Bible says, we were healed. (I Peter
2:24) I was having great difficulty breathing, but I refused to take
meds because I felt taking them would be denying my conviction that
the Bible was true. At one point, I told my pastor that I was trying
to stand in faith, but I had been struggling for a long time. He
said, “Honey, your problem is that you know the asthma better than
you know God. Go ahead and take the medicine. It will give you a
chance to focus on God. The more you know Him, the less you will need
that medicine.” He was right. I still take some OTC meds for
asthma, but I don't need the heavy duty meds that I once used just to
get to the “50% of my lung capacity” point and I almost always
breathe at 100%.
If
you are on meds, it is probably wise to just stay on them for now.
Retrain your brain, then slowly back off the meds under your doctor's
supervision.
Ready
to make the commitment to God's Emotional Boot Camp? I can't promise
you will never experience any more periods of depression. But by the
end of the seven weeks, you will have the tools to effectively deal
with it.
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