Lately I have been trying to be polite and restrained in my blogging most of the time. But in what may be a worrying or gratifying trend depending on your perspective that which is bottled up inside of me has been bursting out all of a sudden!

My close blogging friend, Patrior Paradox says "To be quite honest with pepole who come by here I'll admit that I am someone who gets depressed quite a bit. My whole life I've felt myself to be a failure. Why? I don't know." and what do I do, do I put on my psychotherapist's hat and sympathise murmurring sweet nothings into his ear? Do I ever. What was my reply?

Mmmmm.....
And you claim to be a Christian?
No seriously, the answer to this question is simplicity in itself.
You feel like a failure because YOU ARE ONE!!!!!
But fortunately probably not a lot more than anyone else!
The essense of the gospel is good news to failures.
So if you realise you are one you are half way to the liberty God intended for us....
I feel a sermon coming on which is as well seeeing as I have to preach this sunday!

Of course his opponent in a blog war I have for once almost completely stayed out of states

"I feel myself plummeting towards such dark despair that I'm ready to beg God to take away my life."

and how do I reply?

Sorrow can be a tool of God in our lives. I dont know why Mac, but praying for you today, I felt let to direct you to 2 Cor 7 :9-10 which I will quote from the ESV (sorry for that- I know you prefer the KJV!)

"I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you"

I feel you should ask God today: "God, is there anything in my life you are not happy with, that you want me to repent of?" You will experience great joy if you allow him to search your heart and root out any sin that may be hiding in there.

May God bless you and do good to you and deliver you. Remember though, that the person you need delivering from most of all is yourself.

Now, please dont hear me wrong. I sure wouldnt reply that bluntly to everyone who told me they were depressed! Obviously my replies are largely intended for their receipients and dependent on my knowledge of them both. These are both strong guys who should be able to hear what I am saying with the love that is intended.

Sorrow and depression are not always a sign that we have something we need to sort out either with God or someone else, but it is true to say they often are. It is amazing what forgiveness can do to depression sometimes.

Having said all that, if you are depressed reading this blog, please dont take this as an indication that you should stop all your tablets suddenly- that is not usually a very good idea at all! Indeed sometimes people need to take tablets before they can even begin to think about some of the issues which reinforce the patterns of thinking involved in depression.

Depression is really complex, and a few quick comments in a blog cant take the place of a proper assessment by a doctor- so if you need to go see one, thats what they are there for! But if you are a Christian, why not have a chat to a godly leader as well- thats what they are there for too!