Releasing Our Inner Child...

Pop psychologists urge us to release our inner child or not to inhibit our child-like nature.  Too many of us are stuck in the adult mode of existence and have forgotten what it's like to be a child much less relate to one and communicate or level with them. Jesus' own disciples rebuked the crowds for bringing their children to be blessed by Jesus, thinking that was a waste of time or effort.  But Jesus rebuked them for their interference in God's plan and thinking they knew better and their agenda would be acceptable in God's eyes.  The thing is is that in God's economy there are many paradoxes and we must all become children to become born into God's family.

There aren't too many qualifications for entering the kingdom of God, the primary one being that we realize we aren't qualified, but we must be like a child in many ways and Jesus used children as an object lesson to teach the disciple a lesson on salvation. You must realize, that in Jesus' day, children had no rights and were not respected and also didn't have a long life expectancy with a high infant mortality rate. It's the same with believers because we get no respect and also may have a high mortality rate in a sense.

But by way of analogy, let's look at some of the traits of children that Christ must've admired.  Firstly, they are humble and not arrogant, they don't think they know it all and ask questions.  Secondly, they are dependent and know it and trust their parents to meet their needs.  Thirdly, they forgive and accept forgiveness easily because they don't keep score.  Fourthly, they are vulnerable and look to their parents for support.  Fifthly, they are filled with awe and wonder and are impressed with simple things, whereas adults are blase about the space shuttle and modern ingenuity.

We may be impressed with our latest smartphones and modern technology but not so with spiritual things, but even the simplest Bible stories captivate children.  Sixthly, they are without prejudice or bias and accept people for their human dignity. Seventhly, they have that inner joy of life that is lost in adulthood, few of them are depressed about their lives.

Now God breaks us for a reason, to make us outgrow our childishness and to grow up and learn to depend on God.  It is only broken people or contrite ones that can be forgiven.  As long as we have no convictions or guilty feelings we don't qualify for salvation for He came to seek and to save not the righteous but sinners. Children outgrow their childishness but some adults never outgrow their childish faith and insecurities.

We must not think God has to abide by our visions and we don't bring our plans to Him for approval but seek His will and plan and to obey it.  When we are born again we become children of God and can see life from a new perspective and vision that the world sees not because we have the inner Spirit and the mind of Christ.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Proper Disclosure Of Stigma

"After this, Jesus found him in the temple complex and said to him, 'See you are well.  Do not sin anymore so that something worse doesn't happen to you'" (John 5:14, HCSB, all italics and boldface mine in verses).  
"I think, 'My bed will comfort me, and sleep will ease my misery,' but then you shatter me with dreams and terrify me with visions" (Job 7:13-14, NLT).  
"Why am  I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad?..." (Psalm 43:5, NLT).  
"Come quickly, LORD, and answer me, for my depression deepens..." (Psalm 143:7, NLT). 

I'm not speaking of popularized behavioral modification or self-help courses but after the onset of serious mental issues (neurosis and psychosis) that require immediate medical or professional advice and/or care.  Mental health (or wellness) awareness has hit an all-time low in reputation because of assault crime committed by so-called mentally disturbed individuals or people with deep-seated personal defects in personality; therefore all mentally ill persons suffer a stigma from society, in extreme cases being ostracized from employment on the level of being an ex-con in rehab, even of being a danger to society.  It is wise not to openly discuss one's disability because of this danger and this is called proper disclosure--only to one they trust "ought" to know or has a need to know.

We must refrain from ignorant, hasty, or uninformed diagnoses.  Unfortunately, one's own family members may have known the legally diagnosed person in the day (and they can never manage to live it down) and nothing erases the memory of the way they were.  No one likes being "labeled," so they try to avoid it now with young children in elementary school--a positive approach.

The road to recovery can be a long one; various coping remedies and strategies are available though.  Mental wellness management of one's issues is not just executed by avoiding bad habits, taking meds, going to therapy or group, or a work therapy program with incentives, but by developing new therapeutic conduct and wellness practices or habits to replace the bad ones--in other words, "positive mental hygiene." 

Education in wellness management is conducive to sound mental hygiene also.  Mental illness should not be seen as merely behavioral disorders which need behavioral correction, (which is not cured, but only treated and managed!) and it is not just a matter of having "unresolved personal problems," (as if mere personal one-on-one counseling is the key or answer) nor is it a matter of being maladjusted, immature, of having a poor father image, or of poor self-image, and so forth, but some people are actually born with a vulnerability (much like alcoholism) to certain stressors and something traumatic triggers it and the onset begins and needs treatment.   

Mental illness is most likely a bona fide disability, not a sin to overcome.  Sometimes it seems like just the symptoms are being treated and a cure is not even sought like this is the way it's supposed to be. We must not remain complacent to medicate people to the point of becoming emotional zombies too.    

CAVEAT:  "It could happen to you!"  All psychological, cognitive, or mood illnesses have stressors and triggers to bring them on.  Some people may be equally vulnerable but never subject to the same level of stress (this is sometimes called PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder, shell shock, or battle fatigue by old nomenclature).

It is a known, accepted scientific fact of research and not just my opinion, that biological factors (including several physical factors like diet, exercise, sleep, body chemistry) and temperament have an effect unless you adhere to free will and that one's nature is not predetermined by God.  We are born with a certain disposition, inclination, or tendency, although we may misuse it and let it take over and overcome us, as it's written: "Sin wants to destroy you, but you don't let it--per Gen. 4:7).  Sin, as well as levels of stress, plays a role in developing emotional/cognitive illness or psychological/mental disabilities to become a special needs person or even a vulnerable adult in an institution.  Thus, biology, DNA or nature (temperament), sin, and stressors (nurture) all play a role and are a factor. But God is in charge of our life AND DESTINY by Providence and in a way, people can become the innocent victim of circumstances. 

But don't get me wrong!  We must not blame nature or nurture (a cop-out) for our behavior that we will be held accountable for and judged by.  We are always responsible for our actions (according to our own conscience and awareness) and when someone pleads innocent because of insanity, he is on flaky and flimsy grounds spiritually--although a complete loss of moral compass is possible, and there may be extenuating circumstances.  God has given all men some sort of moral compass.  But all in all, God is the final Judge and we are to "judge nothing before the time."

We all experience spiritual highs and lows too, even occasional mood swings known as the blues or when one is in a depressed funk--no Christian is meant to walk around on cloud nine all day or to walk in the glow of some experience or existential encounter with God forever. We all come down to earth someday and become oriented to Reality 101, the OJT of real life.  Pop psychology can become a crutch if one becomes overly dependent, when not used in combination with other methodologies, as well as an escape from personal responsibility or a way of pointing the finger and blaming others--the old game of throwing stones at glasshouses. Pop psychology is a tool and aid, not a substitute for balanced living. Anyone can go overboard and off the deep end.  It used to be that everything was someone else's fault a la Freud's diagnosis or psychoanalysis!  (It's all your father's fault!).

We must all grow up spiritually to a mature mind in Christ and learn to walk by faith, not sentiment: the proper order is the right knowledge, right thinking, right doing, and then the right feeling.  Our orthodoxy (right beliefs) must align with our orthopraxy (right conduct) to be well adjusted and balanced with holistic health.

We are all spiritual works in progress and hopefully, people will be patient with us, God isn't finished with us yet!  God promises to complete the work of forming Christ in us.  We all have different crosses to bear and without a cross, we have no crown!   We only build character through adversity!  (No one is exempt!)  That's why we must be cautious not to judge prematurely and to try to empathize and put ourselves in their shoes, and walk a mile in their moccasins.  Sin is the ultimate cause of all maladies and illnesses directly or indirectly, as the curse on the earth that entered mankind through the original sin of Adam eating the "forbidden fruit," but we all have sinned and must consider our sins when judging another and their humanness or weaknesses.

But for every illness, there is a cure or treatment option and the Divine Healer can use physicians and therapists to do His will--in essence, all humanity is sin-sick, not just the mentally ill, no one can claim innocence.  As Dr. Karl Menninger, MD, wrote: Whatever Became of Sin?  It is regarded as the ultimate killjoy word.  People must realize their responsibility--no sin equals no culpability either. However, the cure may involve more than just repentance!  As Jesus said, "Repent or something worse will happen to you." In my opinion, it could be the judgment of God or even the test of God like Job's case "When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold," (cf. Job 23:10).  I won't rule out other contributing factors.

In my opinion, Christians can suffer spiritual PTSD or become bipolar but they play the blame game (a cop-out) and don't want to seek help from professionals who deal with these issues all the time. Many are on an identity moratorium and are confused about life and the ultimate questions we all must answer.  It could be as simple and easy as a medication or to "find oneself" and then "be oneself" in some therapy group where one feels "welcome" to express himself freely and open up, learning to trust without fear of disclosure or restraint,  fault-finding, judging, shame, or blame. This is why they are sometimes called "encounter groups" where they can find their voice.  We all have a desire for "touching base" and having fellowship with friends, similar to social media.

If nothing else, one may feel he finally knows himself and sometimes the picture isn't pretty--reality may dawn on him.  He is meeting the group not to judge but to heal and help each other relate to the group as practice in the real world--realizing they need each other to achieve goals.  This is akin to confession and getting it off one's chest, instead of living in denial.  They found someone that will listen.  Why confession and letting it all hang out in the open, showing vulnerabilities?  The Christian sees one culprit as sin and we must recognize, admit, and repent of it.  The first step to becoming healed is to admit a problem and that you cannot deal with it or heal it yourself.  The psychologist cannot heal himself either--we all need someone like in a buddy system or group setting to have accountability and responsibility--two important contributions to healing.

Being open about one's faults is chicken soup for the soul and very therapeutic in itself, releasing a heavy yoke of shame.  Today we see more celebrities even coming out of the closet and admitting mental health issues. That is why we must not be ashamed of our feelings either because we all are vulnerable just like George Whitefield said upon seeing a man going to the gallows:  "There but for the grace of God, go I." It can be good to feel so bad! If you cannot feel another's pain upon being whipped check out where your heart is.   Letting go of guilt also can be therapeutic!   Paul reiterated, "I am what I am by the grace of God."  So, we are all in the same boat and no one is immune from mental illness or in its forms of depression, given certain events: as they say, "Everyone has a breaking point" or the capacity of a nervous breakdown," all things being equal.

But Jesus promised we can overcome the world by faith, and can also be cheerfully doing it.  The best treatment option is work therapy--staying busy--or a structured, organized, disciplined life with accountability--giving them some dignity and worth as individuals go a long way in boosting morale and spirit.  There is no reason a person diagnosed to be bipolar cannot grow in Christ and become a mature believer, living a productive life giving back to the community if given the opportunity because there is no direct link or correlation between mental illness and spiritual bipolar symptoms which demonstrate unstable spiritual lives not grounded in the faith or sound doctrine.

We have no biblical warrant to stigmatize anyone for seeking support for mental health concerns because God has leveled the playing field and it could happen to anyone; it's just "them," a sort of tribalism.  It takes courage to admit our weaknesses, even to boast of them.   We must not be like Job's miserable comforters either.  Today's Postmodern psychologists deny normalcy (What's normal? has become what's normal for you?) and that there is such a thing but that it's relative to person and situation or culture, and it has been said that "in a mad, mad world, only the mad are sane!"  We need to be cautioned not to "define deviancy down" as sociologists do to deviant behavior when they are really justifying sin--which by any other name should still be called sin--call a spade a spade! Calling sin but shortcomings, mistakes, weaknesses, or habits maximized its hazard or danger to our soul; how can one repent if not admitting sin?

In sum, Jesus meant to raise the bar in loving others, and He inspired the highest ethics but also lived to be the greatest motive for them, but the question still remains, "What is the LCD or lowest common denominator?"  How low must we go before denying moral relativism and realize some people aren't sick but evil (as at the trial of the Nazis at Nuremberg using natural law) and they're just sinners--we must not let insanity be an excuse for evil either, reasons are not excuses!   





LET'S SAY AN AMEN TO THIS!  






ADDENDUM: TALKING TO MY THERAPIST, WE BOTH AGREED, AFTER MY SUGGESTION, THAT TREATMENT SHOULD BEGIN WITH BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION AND NOT FOCUS TOO MUCH ON DIAGNOSIS SO AS NOT TO STIMAGITZE RIGHT OFF THE BAT BEFORE ANY MEDICATIONS ARE PRESCRIBED ONLY AS A LAST RESORT AND THERAPY FAILS TO AMEND THE INDIVIDUAL AS OPPOSED TO MEDICATING FIRST AS IS THE CUSTOM.  JUST BECAUSE SOME RARE INDIVIDUAL MAY NEED A SEDATIVE TO CALM THEM DOWN, DOESN'T MEAN THIS SHOULD BE POLICY AS TRIAGE.  

GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO BE HEALED ON THEIR OWN!   IN OTHER WORDS, GOOD PSYCHOLOGY IS NOT JUST THE AVOIDANCE OF "BAD" BEHAVIOR BUT THE PRACTICE OF GOOD AND THERAPEUTIC BEHAVIOR AND HABITS ("POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL HYGIENE").   IN SUM, WE SHOULD NOT SEE THE MENTALLY UNHEALTHY AS JUST NEEDING REHAB OR MEDS FOR SYMPTOMS, BUT ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY, EVEN THOUGH A COMPLICATED ONE, AS A WORK IN PROGRESS!  

We all search for purpose, meaning, and dignity and Christ is the answer to all three, but they are extrinsic solely because we are in the image of God.  

Soli Deo Gloria!  (TO GOD ALONE BE THE GORY!) 

Christianity Is Good Psychology...

"There is something about the way God is that is like the way we are." --J. P. Moreland and Scott Rae
"Psychologist, Heal Thyself." --Joyce Milton
"If there is no God, all things are permissible." -- Dostoevsky
"... [A]nd [God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7, KJV).
NB: The Greek antiquarian axiom: Know thyself!

The Christian faith is a school of psychology, in fact, a better one than pop or even traditional psychology, and it is a competing one for the hearts and minds of Christians, some of whom feel alienated from the church and don't find solutions in its traditions and teachings. Too often Christians seeking psychological counseling just have unresolved personal problems and aren't obedient believers repenting of their sins and being accountable--the troubled souls need guidance and support for the social maladjustment. But psychology is starting to realize the importance of accountability and of making choices again, which is a kind of recognition of sin, the ultimate irresponsibility. The point is that without God there is no sin and we are not accountable!

The fact is that only the church offers answers to all the ultimate questions and dilemmas of man, and psychology focuses on behavior, dodging the bullet. Psychology is supposedly the study of the soul or psyche, but it has reverted to studying and modifying behavior. They don't have the big answer to what's wrong with us but focus on diagnosis and so-called self-help therapies. We instinctively sense something is awry with our condition. William Kirk Kilpatrick concludes, "The real test of a theory or way of life, however, is not whether it can relieve pain but what it says about the pain it cannot relieve." Why is it that religious people are known to be less stressed than nonbelievers?

Christian psychology, which seems like an oxymoron, focuses on positive psychological hygiene, as well as avoiding bad, destructive behavior. We are supposed to cease to do evil and learn to do good. Don't just avoid sin, but do the right thing and live right. According to Christian psychologists, most mental illnesses don't really exist, but they are over-diagnosed to people who have emotional problems with life adjustment and coping in the real world. They have not learned to hack Reality 101. (Modern psychology doesn't know any answers to life's problems and issues, such as the meaning and purpose of life, where we came from, where we're headed, and why we are here.) They study behavior but cannot define human nature and don't know what makes us human--the image of God!

Every rational person knows about the existence of good and evil and has eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Adam, but most people still think man is basically good, while Christianity is counter-cultural and says we are basically and intrinsically evil and corrupt through and through--no one escapes corruption and is pure in God's eyes. This raises a red flag when they cannot account for the evil in the world and don't even have a definition for it. But Paul said, "Wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24). We must know ourselves as the Greeks admonished, and the picture isn't pretty. A famous Christian philosopher remarked: "What is wrong with the world? I am, sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton." Christianity gives us dignity and makes us accountable and oriented toward reality, and isn't a cop-out or escape. Christianity is the only worldview that adequately answers all the ultimate questions plaguing mankind.

Christianity is unique too: The problem is sin, and Christ is the answer! Man is plagued by real guilt (not a guilt-complex a la Freudian psychology) and needs forgiveness and freedom from guilt which can only be realized in spiritual renewal and salvation. We are each individually responsible to God and accountable and will be judged as to what we did with our gifts from God. Christianity doesn't give us the freedom to live as we want, but the power to live as we ought and sets us free from the bondage of sin's power over us. We were born in bondage not born free! Only in Christianity is there meaning in suffering and the guilt problem is dealt a final blow and resolved for good so that it doesn't dog a person for the rest of his life.

We are in the image of God, having intellect, will, emotion, intuition, conscience, etc., and must seek good and moral choices, as well as avoid the evil one: Doing the right thing while avoiding bad behavior as well. We all have human traits of wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence to name a few of the known 52 virtues delineated in Scripture. The goal is not to pinpoint blame or to point the finger, but to bring healing through reconciliation to God. Only then will we realize what makes life worth living. Soli Deo Gloria!

Christianity Is Good Psychology...

"There is something about the way God is that is like the way we are." --J. P. Moreland and Scott Rae  

"Psychologist, heal thyself." --Joyce Milton  

"If there is no God, all things are permissible." -- Dostoevsky 

"... [A]nd [God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul"  (Gen. 2:7, KJV).
Remember the Greek antiquarian axiom:  Know thyself!  

NB:   PSYCHOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF THE SOUL BY DEFINITION.  

The Christian faith is a school of psychology, in fact, a better one than pop or even traditional psychology, and it is a competing one for the hearts and minds of Christians, some of whom feel alienated from the church and don't find solutions in its traditions and teachings.  Too often Christians seeking psychological counseling just have unresolved personal problems and aren't obedient believers repenting of their sins and being accountable--the troubled souls need guidance and support for the social maladjustment.  But psychology is starting to realize the importance of accountability and of making choices again, which is a kind of recognition of sin, the ultimate irresponsibility. The point is that without God there is no sin and we are not accountable!

The fact is that only the church offers answers to all the ultimate questions and dilemmas of man, and psychology focuses on behavior, dodging the bullet.  Psychology is supposedly the study of the soul or psyche, but it has reverted to studying and modifying behavior.  They don't have the big answer to what's wrong with us but focus on diagnosis and so-called self-help therapies. We instinctively sense something is awry with our condition.  William Kirk Kilpatrick concludes, "The real test of a theory or way of life, however, is not whether it can relieve pain but what it says about the pain it cannot relieve."  Why is it that religious people are known to be less stressed than nonbelievers?

Christian psychology, which seems like an oxymoron, focuses on positive psychological hygiene, as well as avoiding bad, destructive behavior.  We are supposed to cease to do evil and learn to do good.  Don't just avoid sin, but do the right thing and live right.  According to Christian psychologists, most mental illnesses don't really exist, but they are over-diagnosed to people who have emotional problems with life adjustment and coping in the real world.  They have not learned to hack Reality 101.  (Modern psychology doesn't know any answers to life's problems and issues, such as the meaning and purpose of life, where we came from, where we're headed, and why we are here.)  They study behavior but cannot define human nature and don't know what makes us human--the image of God!

Every rational person knows about the existence of good and evil, and has eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Adam, but most people still think man is basically good, while Christianity is counter-cultural and says we are basically and intrinsically evil and corrupt through and through--no one escapes corruption and is pure in God's eyes.  This raises a red flag when they cannot account for the evil in the world and don't even have a definition for it.  But Paul said, "Wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24).  We must know ourselves as the Greeks admonished, and the picture isn't pretty.  A famous Christian philosopher remarked:  "What is wrong with the world?  I am, sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton."  Christianity gives us dignity and makes us accountable and oriented toward reality, and isn't a cop-out or escape.  Christianity is the only worldview that adequately answers all the ultimate questions plaguing mankind.

Christianity is unique too:  the problem is sin, Christ is the answer!  Man is plagued by real guilt (not a guilt-complex a la Freudian psychology) and needs forgiveness and freedom from guilt which can only be realized in spiritual renewal and salvation.  We are each individually responsible to God and accountable and will be judged as to what we did with our gifts from God.  Christianity doesn't give us the freedom to live as we want, but the power to live as we ought and sets us free from the bondage of sin's power over us. We were born in bondage not born free!  Only in Christianity is there meaning in suffering and the guilt problem is dealt a final blow and resolved for good so that it doesn't dog a person the rest of his life.

We are in the image of God, having intellect, will, emotion, intuition, conscience, etc., and must seek the good and moral choice, as well as avoid the evil one:  Doing the right thing while avoiding bad behavior as well.  We all have human traits of wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence to name a few of the known 52 virtues delineated in Scripture.  The goal is not to pinpoint blame or to point the finger, but to bring healing through reconciliation to God.  Only then will we realize what makes life worth living.      Soli Deo Gloria! 

Nature Versus Nurture 2?

"If God does not exist, all things are permissible." --Fyodor Dostoevsky 

This was a great debate a few years ago in the discipline of psychology, and even of sociology.  What if it's neither (i.e., nature nor nurture)?  They left out one important possibility or factor to insert into the equation as a constant and/or variable, a key player but ultimately sovereign, and a given:  God. Don't rule God out!  What if God says we are to blame?  But we are the clay and God is the Potter and guides the details of our lives.  Christianity is a type of psychology too and does offer real solutions, if taken seriously, to behavior issues, and offers counseling to help troubled individuals with unresolved personal problems and issues, or in some cases salvation, if they are lost.

Two people can react quite differently to the same stimuli or tragedy with divergent results: it's not what happens to you but in you that counts!  The same sun melts the butter, hardens the clay and the same hammer that forges steel and breaks the glass.  We all react according to our God-given nature and either become bitter or better for we are all mere clay in God's hands as our Potter.  Our worldview affects greatly how we interpret our world and react to it; it's not a matter of faith versus reason, but which set of presuppositions we accept as fact. Everyone has faith, even the secular person can have faith in science as the answer to problems.  God thus orchestrates our life to make us what we are.

No God means no sin as Albert Camus said, "The absurd is sin without God." We do well to heed the admonition of psychiatrist Dr. Karl Menninger's book Whatever Became of Sin?  This means we are responsible for our choices!   But guilt (from this sin) is real and cannot be denied--it can dog us all our lives, but it can be good to feel bad and it's therapeutic, forcing self-examination and soul-searching, though there is psychological guilt that is imagined and cruel, and this must be dealt with to bring healing to the soul, i.e., there's ultimate meaning in all suffering.  Note it was Freud who popularized the notion of a "guilt complex."  Perhaps we feel guilty because we are guilty!  We're fighting God!  We all make choices!  You simply cannot blame your genes for your bad behavior or weaknesses, they are sins--this is just inventing pretty names for them! You have no right to claim:  I was born this way!  It's a cop-out to blame the environment, family, upbringing, or society (the first sin was committed in the idyllic place known as the Garden of Eden), but we should never be in the blame game, period.

Sin is our fault and we are culpable!  We shall be judged if we do not find the mercy of God.  Sin is only a sign of the virus inherited from Adam and everyone has it.  Yes, no one is perfect nor can they put themselves on a pedestal.  We must assume individual responsibility and come clean.  Sir Francis Crick, co-discoverer of DNA, said we are "not pawns of our genes," and therefore we cannot play the blame game.  Scientists do say that some people are more vulnerable than others and it's only stressors that trigger illnesses, but that is the case with all sin--some may be more vulnerable to committing rape or murder, but they are still going to be judged and are responsible.

Why?  Because God's grace is sufficient and can change us from having hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (cf. Ezek. 36:26) and regenerate us into new creatures (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).  Christ is still in the resurrection business and changes lives!  The biggest miracle that cannot be denied is how He transforms sinners into saints!  We all have the opportunity to repent and believe in the gospel and if we turn our back on Christ and harden our hearts, it's our blame, not our genes nor our environment--there's no excuse, period!   Yes, we are worse off, but not too bad to be saved!  No one is too far gone.  Some people just need to come to an end of themselves to realize their need for grace in their lives, and that they aren't in control as the master of their fate and captain of their soul.  God can conquer anyone and is stronger than we are (cf. Jer. 20:7).

It's been postulated by John Locke, et al., that children are born with a tabula rasa (are blank slates), not prone to evil, but inherently or intrinsically good, merely spoiled or corrupted by the impure environment, which is to blame (favoring the nurture in the debate). This erroneous hypothesis arises from eliminating God from the equation and refusing to factor Him into consideration--it's a cop-out!  Where you start determines where you'll end up--this is a recipe for psychological chaos (for cosmos without Logos, the expression of God, the logic of God is chaos) and makes all scientific endeavor futile.  We must begin with God and explain our problem and not with the problem and explain away God!

What is the solution then?  Only in genuine repentance and saving faith in Christ, acknowledging our guilt before a holy God, seeking reconciliation, as we are personally culpable before God, to deliver us from the power of sin over us--though we must live with the consequences they are neutralized and turned to our benefit and overall blessing.  Remember, God will discipline the wayward child who persists in living a life of sin without repentance and will not countenance it.  To just make excuses or shift the blame only compounds the problem and evades the issue.  The missing link in the equation is that we're created in God's image and there's something about us that is like God, and we need to find out what it means to be human.  All worldviews must contemplate what's wrong with man--some only learn by the school of hard knocks. Soli Deo Gloria!

Have Thine own way, Lord!
Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after will,
While I am waiting yielded and still.
--famous gospel hymn, public domain

Should We Be Ashamed Of Depression?

We all have to learn individually how to cope with our "demons." After we have indulged ourselves in a pity-party (being in a funk, in the pits, or having the doldrums) we should rebound to fellowship (or as a friend told me to "snap out of it"), and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Let's not wallow in self-pity, but seek a divine viewpoint--things are not all that bad as we make them out to be. Depression usually happens to people who have a sensitive side and are in touch with their feelings (but this is a luxury not all enjoy); those too busy with the rat-race don't have time to get depressed nor elated, for that matter. "Sorrow is better than laughter because a sad face is good for the heart" (Eccl 7:3). [Remember Christ was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief."]

Here is a case in point: Psalm 40:2 says the psalmist was lifted out of the "slimy pit," out of the "mud and mire": he strengthened himself in the Lord his God (1 Sam 30:6b). N.B. he didn't necessarily know why he was depressed ("Why am I downcast O my soul?" (Ps 42:11). "He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings" (Ps 40:2). As we quoted Psalm 42: "Why are you cast down O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?" Evidently, he had bouts with being of broken and contrite spirit or of depression, which some call sloth. According to Rome, this is one of the seven deadly sins.  Depression is more common than most admit: Note Neil Diamond's song "Song Sung Blue" which says, "Me and you, are subject to, the blues now and then/Song sung blue, everybody knows one, every garden grows one."

God puts trials in our way to make us learn dependence on Him. If we think we are a rock that feels no pain or an island that doesn't cry like the Simon and Garfunkel song "I Am A Rock" we will suffer more because we are in this thing together and all the parts of the body must work in coordination and in sync. It takes a real man and a big person to admit his weaknesses and vulnerabilities to others. True fellowship often takes place when we "come clean" (share our vulnerabilities) and are totally honest as to our feelings--sometimes the best of us needs "therapy." I like Job 23:10: They are merely trials we must overcome. "The Lord knows the way that I take; when he has tried me I shall come forth as gold."

  By common definition, depression is anger turned inward; however, depression often results from fallacious or erroneous thinking, and we must substitute a more helpful and healthy thought. Job was so depressed he wanted to die. Likewise, Elijah wanted to die and so did Jonah. God gave Elijah something to eat and he was good to go, as they say.   Jonah was angry and wanted to die. Many suicides can be prevented if we knew the warning signs of depression and suicidal ideation.

Note that depression usually is the result of the dwelling of living in the past, misinterpreting the present, or anticipating the future.   Some say, "Impression without expression = depression!"  How do we overcome? 2 Cor. 1:4 says: "[Who] comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted."

Find someone who's been there and done that!   Abe Lincoln rightly said that the Bible is the best cure for the blues--he was known for getting depressed. People who get depressed often also get elated or have periods of euphoria (bipolar affected personalities), and tend to be more in touch with their feelings--that is good! Sometimes, to get out of depression, all we need is to talk with a friend ("I get by with a little help from my friends")--this is talk therapy. Sometimes we just have to wait it out: "This too shall pass!" "Wait, I say, on the Lord" (cf. Psa. 27:14).

A good rule of thumb is to be too busy to get depressed, which is a luxury that not all possess. It is not depression per se that is sin, (the coping skills need to be healthful habits of hygiene),  but what we end up doing that can be problematic: oversleeping, overeating, shopping sprees, social withdrawal, etc. We need to find therapeutic things to do (hygienic psychology) when depressed like going for a walk, and talking to God about what concerns us: "Casting all your care upon the Lord..." (1 Pet 5:7). "Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved" (Psa 55:22).  The ultimate is sometimes prayer therapy or even talk therapy (not cash therapy, food therapy, or sleep therapy!).   "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God..." (Phil. 4:6).   Soli Deo Gloria!