Abuse is oppression and causes depression
Overcoming the Statistics with Faith
An estimated 21.0 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in 2021. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, this number represented 8.3% of all U.S. adults.
What can we do to help those who suffer from abuse, depression, or any form of oppression? As a Christian, I want to make a case for trying the following activities to see if your depression might be lifted. I make no medical or mental health claims. I know what has worked for me.
Abuse causes depression, and abuse is oppression
Which in turn causes more stress and creates even more depression. So, how do you break the cycle? The fastest and easiest way is to thank God for the adversity. Yes, I know it sounds far out there. But He has allowed this adversity to sharpen you and grow you into His image for His purposes here on earth. Think of yourself as a diamond in the rough; God needs to trim and shape you until you are the brightest diamond in the showroom. He wants you to be an example of His power, might, and glory.
Ask God Why
I learned to ask God why I was going through this battle, this drama, this pain. My depression followed years of abuse, first as a child, then as a young adult, then into my first marriage. I found the sooner I asked God why and what He was trying to teach me, the sooner I would move forward.
If I stayed in my pity party for one, I would get deeper into the mess, whatever it was. I could even find myself repeating my mistake.
When you are in a mess
You’re blind and grasping for anyone or anything to rescue you. That is when you get taken advantage of by trusting the wrong people and listening to the wrong voices. It pays you in ways you can’t imagine to know the voice of God and His word.
I felt I had nothing to be grateful for
I was depressed in the early 90’s, and my mind was so dark I did not have the energy to think of something to be grateful for. Then, someone told me to express gratitude for my senses. That’s where I started. God, I am thankful for my sight, that I can see the colors of this world you created. The next day, I would focus on another sense, maybe touch; Lord, I a thankful for how I can feel objects with my hands. Those were dark days; now, it’s second nature for me to express gratitude, which changes my perspective. It’ll work for anyone.
Trust me and try it
Think of something you are thankful for, such as a memory, person, or favorite item. The more gratitude you can express, the higher your energy and your joy will climb.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. (Psalm 100:4 NIV)
God created us with relationship circuits in our brains-
that turn on when we express gratitude. Others benefit when you share your appreciation. So, share and see what I mean.
Worship that Grows out of Gratitude is something God loves
In Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth’s excellent book Choosing Gratitude, she points out that we are either whining or worshiping. Our natural, sinful state makes us prone to see what we lack and what’s gone wrong in our lives.
Living in a place of gratitude is freeing
When you are in the pit of depression and ask what lesson God is trying to teach you, be ready for His answer. Then, you can move forward into what He has in mind.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)
Yes, I could have stayed stuck in my rut of a mess-
with my poor little me mentality until I took my life; that’s how dark it became. I had an overwhelming thought of running my car into a ravine, but death was not sure in that scenario. Also, I knew in my heart that suicide was wrong.
After a few days of telling God that I was grateful for my ability to see, smell, touch, and hear, I began to feel lighter. Something was changing, and then I started to ask God what I was supposed to learn from what I was going through.
That’s when I found out my difficult childhood and early adulthood years were not going to waste. God was going to use them. I didn’t know how He would use my years of oppression and depression, but that made me feel better.
Many times over the years, I had tried to forgive my mother for her rejection and the lack of love. With the Holy Spirit’s help, I learned how to forgive for the abuse and mistreatment. But the rejection was still a deep wound.
Then, the Holy Spirit told me to walk a mile in my mother’s shoes
I knew of this wisdom. What did I have to lose? So, I wrote down everything I knew as truth, dates, and names. I walked my mind and emotions (as if I were my mother) that mile and came out whole on the other side. Talk about a change: this was the change I needed; it reframed my perspective on my rejection, and I felt empathy for my mother. The scars of rejection melted away.
In conclusion
My advice to anyone who is battling depression or oppression is to talk to God as if you are speaking to another person. I am sure He’s up on the latest slang. After all, He invented languages. Don’t expect Him to appear like a genie from a bottle to give you answers. You can ask Him to respond in some way that you will know without a doubt that it’s His answer. I’ve done this myself.