WALDROP: Depression in faith and discipleship

Rev. Russell G. Waldrop, D. Min., LPC, is a pastoral counselor and is chaplain of Western State Hospital. Contact him at 332-8004 or .
Published: October 16, 2008

You’ve played those games, haven’t you, where you identify one word that may not belong with the others on a list? For example, which word (if any) does not belong on this list: a) blue b) yellow c) twelve d) orange? (Answer: twelve).
Let’s play that game. Which word (if any), does not belong: a) church b) depression c) faith d) discipleship?
Most people choose “depression.” Why? Well, depression feels distinctively negative in comparison to the others; maybe even their opposite, certainly a barrier to all three.
Yet, according to Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, depression is the fourth stage of her “Five Stages of Grief.” And Jesus taught that grief is a God-given blessing that brings comfort to people experiencing significant losses (Matt. 5:4). So, how do we reconcile depression’s “bad reputation” with its importance in the very grief process that Jesus said is a blessing?
One way is to change our view of depression as a barrier in the path of church, faith and discipleship and replace it with the view that depression may be a recurring roadway that we walk through the other three.
Like a hibernating bear, depression can be a reservoir of emotional, spiritual and physical resources. Family, friends, or therapists can encourage “the bear” when it turns, stretches, or opens one eye, but emotional timing is essential. If it is poked into waking up too soon or allowed to sleep too long, the opportunities to handle its losses can be thwarted. Especially unhelpful is the idea that depression is always bad.
As pointed out by Lesley Hazelton in “The Right to Feel Bad: Coming to Terms with Normal Depression,” depression may be a “getting ready to get ready” stage that, when it awakens on time, starts working on the issues. Of course, not all depression is good. When issues of poor self-care, suicidal or homicidal thinking, memory loss, bizarre behavior, etc., emerge, a team of medical, psychological and other professionals should be consulted.
Depression functions deep in our “inward parts” (Ps. 51:6; Jer. 31:33b KJV) where we live more of our lives than we imagine. In his book, “The Unconscious God,” psychiatrist Victor Frankl describes God’s work there.
Remember the dreams of Old Testament figures like Joseph, Jacob, Daniel and others; and New Testament figures like Peter, Cornelius and Paul? Frankl would affirm God’s activity in our unconsciousness as well as theirs. But why is God in our unconsciousness more than our consciousness in the first place?
It is likely that we could not tolerate knowing exactly what God is “up to” in our lives. If children knew exactly what their parents and teachers were planning for them, could they tolerate it? Years ago, could we have tolerated suddenly knowing everything that God was planning for us today? If dentists are kind enough to deaden our feelings to what they are doing in our mouths, shouldn’t we trust God’s use of “spiritual Novocain” while working in our lives?
That is why God might work under the camouflage of our unconscious until we are ready for it: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor has the mind imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1Cor. 2:9; Isaiah 64:4).
According to God’s design, depression protects us while we prepare to face the challenges of grieving the losses that burden us down. Several Biblical figures illustrate how normal depression can be a part of our church, faith, and discipleship rather than being a barrier to them. That is why it stays on the list.
(Next Week: Depressed People in the Bible)