Depression is being in a despondent state of mind that renders you inactive and ineffective. It is why some Christians become unreliable regarding their spiritual duties. It is therefore imperative that solutions be discovered lest the workforce of the Lord fall by the wayside.
DEPRESSION OF DECEASED LOVED ONES
It should come as no mystery to anyone that people die. The Good Book reminds us of our brief and vulnerable existence on earth (Eccl. 3:2; 9:5; Jas. 4:14-15). The persevering patriarch Job phrased it best when he said, “no man is sure of life” (Job 24:22). Nothing exclaims this fact more than observing the degree of death all around us. On any given day one is awestruck with the colossal amount of deceased souls leaving this world: victims of war, crime, accidents, disease, punishment, old age, suicide, and yes, the inconceivable acts of abortions, all remind us of how this world is not our home. Another reminder that life has an end is the final resting place of the dead. Cemeteries are just memorial landmarks of death.
Nevertheless, we are crushed when loved ones die. Our hearts are smitten with grief and sorrow. This is especially true when death is unexpected making our grief even greater. There is nothing wrong with grieving. We are told to “weep with them that weep” (Rom.12:15). Jesus wept as He grieved over Lazarus (Jn.11:33-36). However, the Lord did not allow His grief to overcome Him and neither should we. Remember, our grief should have limits when faithful Christians die (1 Thess.4:13-18). It should be a time of mixed emotions reflecting sadness for our loss but joy for their gain (Phil.1:21; Rev.14:13). But what about loved ones who die outside of Christ? How can one avoid depression and despair understanding what the Bible says about them? Keep in mind that God is love and He always does right (1 Jn.4:8; Deut.32:4). He gives us all a choice. “I set before you the way of life and the way of death” (Jer.21:8; Rom.6:16). We must respect the choice of our loved ones though we may disagree and take comfort in the fact that God did them right.
