A Black Hole

Barnard 68 phase

On Monday I woke up to one of the worst feelings I've ever experienced. I was down, depressed, which is not me at all; I was deep inside a black hole. I couldn't remember when last, if ever, I'd felt like that. 

I went through the motions of getting ready for the day(showering, dressing, blowdrying my hair, and powdering my nose) but I couldn't summon up enthusiasm for the anything.

Dragging my feet, I walked to the living room and sat down at my desk. As I normally do every morning, I turned on my laptop and read my mails. When I opened  an inspirational mail which arrives regularly,  I read about Barnard 68. And the piece went on to ask if the reader has ever found him/herself in a dark hole because of things beyond their control.  Muttering to myself, I thought, yeah so what's new?  

The writer said this could have come about due to various things :

Sometimes it’s bitterness about the past or an unforgiving attitude. Or perhaps it is stress at work, a difficult boss or colleague;  fear about not being able to pay our bills at the end of the month;  a broken relationship or the loss of a loved one.

She went on to ask how we reacted to these situations; did we know what to do at times like this? Not that I cared about the answer but I read on.

She suggested that rather than isolate ourselves, we should ask God to restore our souls but I thought: How, when I don't FEEL like talking to God? Then she quoted a few verses from a well-known Psalm:

"The LORD is my shepherd. . . He restores my soul... He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. . . Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Psalm 23: 1,3,6

The thought came into my head: Jo, recite this Scripture out loud. I did and immediately I felt the heavy cloud lift from my spirit;  I literally "snapped out of it" and within a couple of hours I was back to my happy self again. Praise God!

Even if you don't profess to a formal faith, somewhere in your walk of life you may remember snippets of Bible Scriptures heard in a wedding ceremony, funeral service or at Christmas and Easter mass. When you find yourself in a trough of despondency, these memories may come in handy. Repeat them to yourself and you'll find your spirits lifting and you can face life again.

In fact, what I'm sharing here isn't rocket science. It's actually so simple that people struggle to believe the principle. God in all His mercy offers us peace and a new life through His Son, Jesus. All we have to do is call on His name.

The words of the old-fashioned hymn comes to mind:

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!


Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Has anyone out there suffered with a sudden and acute attack of "depression" ? How did you deal with it?

Source of text (in part) www.versndag.co.za
Hymn Lyrics by Joseph M Scriven
Source: www.timelesstruths.org