Depression and Faith (is there a correlation one way or the other between these two?)

I have seen a lot of individuals on social media lately asking for Prayers, because they are “in a dark place right now.”

My Brother, a self professed “atheist, ‘incapable’ of being a Christian,” is struggling right now as well with depression.

I’m not saying that having trust in God is a cure-all for depression, but I do think having faith is certainly a perspective that many who suffer from melancholy or a sense of gloominess are lacking.

There are other factors that can contribute to one experiencing such feelings: a change in the seasons, the loss of a loved one, or the state of our union, magisterium, or other institutions that once offered us a sense of stability (I would include Family into this category as well), among other things that are out of our control.

From what I see, often times individuals try to self remedy these sensitivities with vice or disordered desires and impulses:

  • Alcohol or abuse of medication(s) to temporarily numb the sorrow or negative feelings.
  • Thoughts that, “If only I were rich, then I will be happy.” This could lead to gambling, or putting everything into side-hustles to the point where you are falling into shady “get-rich-quick” schemes. Or purchasing things on Amazon using credit cards (living richly, while enslaving oneself to debt).
  • Turning to comfort foods, another temporary boost with negative consequences if it becomes habitual.
  • Sleeping it away. Sleeping, like exercising, is healthy, but if done for the wrong reasons, it can become disordered.

We must not confuse feelings with a lack of faith. Feelings come and go. Turn on any dating reality show and you will hear terms like, “falling in love” or “smitten.” What happens when the butterflies (which are natural and designed by God) fade away? This is when individuals often make poor decisions to get back to these feelings:

  • Go outside of the Marriage or Divorce.
  • Go to the bar with friends to “free” yourself.
  • Or turn to porŋography.

What we do with our feelings is a choice.

We can choose to love or choose to walk away. St. Mother Teresa descried experiencing a “dark night of the soul,” where she felt like God had abandoned her or a sort of “blankness” in her faith journey. But, she chose to trust God anyway. She chose to serve unloved and discarded souls anyways.

As Christians, we naturally want to hold onto that mountaintop experience (Matthew 17:1-13). Some Christians who experience this feeling of loss of faith or a sense of disconnectedness from the Holy Spirit, do things that God does not will for their lives:

  • Walk away. A common statement uttered is, “I did not feel like I was being fed.” Did you feed others?
  • Some Protestants will go back up for an Altar Call (again), because they want to get back to that feeling they had the first time they encountered or gave their lives to Jesus. Though, the action is not entirely bad, the individual is maybe chasing a feeling and not necessarily kindling their relationship with Jesus.
  • Making a deal with God. “Lord, if you do [this], I promise to do [that].” Trust God, don’t try to manipulate Him.

Are we chasing a feeling? Are we letting our feelings cloud our good judgement(s)? Jesus is the answer. If you would like to get to know Him, here are some good ways to let Him in:

  • Pray - Like in a healthy relationship, communication is helpful. Tell God that you are struggling. He cares.
  • Read The Bible - It has been said that Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. If you want to get to know Jesus and His ways better, Prayerfully read Sacred Scripture.
  • Adoration - When Jesus visited Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42), Mary chose to sit and visit with Christ, while Martha was running around doing things. Jesus wants to spend time with you.
  • Reconciliation - Sometimes negative feelings are a byproduct of sin. Like in any relationship, we will make mistakes. We will say and do things that hurt those we care about. These negative feelings are natural, but to hold onto them or pretend like we have done nothing wrong is not the way.
  • Receive The True Food and True Drink - Jesus said in John 6, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” He goes on to say that “this is the bread that came down from Heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate [Arby’s Mozzarella Cheese Sticks] and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Many who heard this said, na, we don’t believe this. And they walked away, returning to their former ways.
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Peace to all,

True Cade_One to me the personal relationship is From the Father through the Moter for the Son in all becoming the Christ in all manking becoming again One Holy Spirit Family One God in being.

To me logically, we are born again and saved from created failed from the first spirit through the created souls of all for the failed mortal flesh, The Body to becoming again from flesh immortality through Holy Spirit incorruptiblity for One Holy Spirit Family One God in all beings.

To me the personal relationship is becoming brothers and sisters to Jesus from the cross where looked at all before we were even born and said to us each at the cross, and called us all by name before we were even born and looked at us and pointed to His Mother and said, “Disciple, Behold Your Mother, Ecce Mater Tua.” From the cross is where the blood and water did flow for all from the side of Jesus and the spear of Longinus. Where did all of the blood and water come from, He was dead! No! We know He never dies and through Baptized death becoming again resurrection, spirit and life through Penance and Sacrifice for all, Jesus is the First Born Christ of all creations rebirth and salvation back to Heaven for all mankind from where He came. The logical birth and salvation for all mankind is The Christ’s death and resurrection for all from the Holy Spirit through the souls of all for the flesh, The Body in the New Eve, The Body to become again One Holy Spirit One Family in being. Created From the Person of the Father through the Mother transformed into immortality through the New Eve for The Son in all mankind becoming the Christ, glorified and transfigured One The Holy Family in all from the Holy Spirit through the immaculate flesh of all from the New Eve through the New Adam becoming again One Holy Spirit Family One God in being.

The Personal relationship of The Christ in all mankind is from personal Gods in being preexistion in infallible creation logic preexisting as personal Gods in being each Gods and separately Gods equal in the powers of God and together One Holy Spirit One God in being From the Father through the Mother for the Son in the Christ in all One Holy Spirit Family One God in being. From the Father the through the Mother in the New Eve becoming transformed we are “Born Again” through the Christ, the Holy Spirit Family conceived in the flesh of Jesus the New Adam becoming the Christ in all mankind becoming again reimaged into the undefiled logical intelligence of fulfilled universal World Order unable to fail and rrbirth and salvation becomes again in all becoming again now only able to love and to be able only loving with the most love through both natures spirit and life “Saved” infallibly glorified and transfigured through the New Adam in all One Holy Spirit Family One God in being, OMNILogically.

Peace always,
Stephen