Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Lesson 2: Depression does not define you

When I was first diagnosed with depression I felt like it had officially become my label - who I was and all I could ever be. That's not the case though. As a Christian, there are a lot of things I am, but depression is not one of them. In Ephesians we are given a whole list of things that we are and have as a result of Christ's sacrifice. This is just a few:
  • every spiritual blessing
  • holy
  • blameless
  • His child
  • grace, freely and generously given
  • redemption
  • forgiveness
  • purpose
  • chosen
  • salvation
  • makred with a seal
  •  
To this day I still have friends that limit me to what they know of me in my depression. When they talk to me, that's all they want to know about, and if I say I'm fine, they go fishing for reasons that I shouldn't be. It's just as hard for me to believe and remember every day that I am free in Christ - not defined by the label of depression.
If you listen to Christian radio, you've likely heard the song "You Are More" by Tenth Avenue North. The chorus of that song says: You are more than the choices that you've made, You are more than the sum of your past mistakes, You are more than the problems you create, You've been remade.

I've posted the official video here:
I encourage you to listen to it, and really pay attention to the lyrics. This song describes me and so many people in similar situtations so very well. But I am finally learning what it means to be described the way God describes me.
 
Think before you label someone based on the outside. You don't know what's going on inside.

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