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Thursday, September 1, 2011

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

10 comments:

  1. Winston Churchill used to call these sort of days his "black dog"

    hope you black dog is now well and truly passed
    x

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  2. Jo, when the weight becomes too much to bear, I count my blessings and render up thanks for them and in a very short time, I find I can manage to carry my burdens again.

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  3. Neat post, Jo... We all have our 'days'.. As women, we can blame it on our 'time of the month'... Sometimes George says that my time of the month lasts the entire month... ha ha

    YES---God is the answer... AND--getting emails from friends like you got!!!

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  4. Got your e-mail, and now I can comment, too. Good!
    So glad you're not the sort of person who stays depressed, Jo. When in doubt, hug a cat.
    Love — K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  5. Blame it on bio-rhythms, Jo! I'm pleased to hear you're smiling once more!

    Hugs,
    Des xoxo

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  6. I love the photo of the bird in your header. Thanks for following my blog!

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  7. It is difficult to know what causes these days. Perhaps a build up of little things which we take no notice of as the days go by! God is always there to listen and for that I am so thankful. Hugs...and have a wonderful two weeks off my friend. xx

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  8. If ever there was a timely blog post this is it. I had a "bout of the down and outs" this very morning. It hung around for too long. I went out and did the weekly grocery shopping - and while out there shopping was talking to (quarreling with?) the Lord under my breath. Your post helped me to remember lots of Scripture. I'm better after reading and contemplating your words. God Bless you for sharing your faith.

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  9. I have that too from time to time and it is mostly because there will be something happening which I don't like at all, but it takes me some time to find out what it is exactly. Once I know I feel already better.

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  10. Oh, Jo, I am so sorry that I have gotten so far behind in reading your blog. I've been in a black hole at times in my life, too, and reading the Psalms always helps me out of it. Thank you for your very personal sharing. We have some things in common. May the Lord continue to bless you and lift you up.

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Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate your feedback. Jo