God's Awesome Design for Depression

Experts have been drawing attention to a growing, culture-wide epidemic of depression. Before another word, please note: My use of “depression” in this article is not in the clinical sense. I’m not a psychologist. I’ve never seen a counselor. I’m not on medication. (My original title for this article addressed this important nuance, but was too cumbersome: "God's Awesome Design for (what many of us call) Depression.")

And I’m not speaking of the kind of “depression,” “funk,” chronic or otherwise, that might derive from things easily under our control. In the wise words of a priest to his congregation (paraphrased):

If you’re struggling with depression, please consider things under your control:
What are you choosing to fill yourself with?
What are you exposing yourself to?
How are you spending your time?
What are you watching?
What are you listening to?
What are you reading?
What are you eating?
Are you getting exercise?
How are you disciplined in sleeping?
What thoughts are you entertaining?

Ok, all that established, here we go: My battle with “the shadows” has been and is pervasive and, sometimes, overwhelming. It can color my world, how I feel, think, sleep, eat (etc.). Great friendships with a transparent multitude over the years moves me to here pronounce: Experiences often labeled “depression” and even “despair” are a God-designed means for His transforming love to pour into our lives and the world around us.

I’m inviting us to here consider all of this in light of Paul’s words: “For our battle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12)

To this we turn.

This morning I reached out to a dear friend who has been battling depression. By God's grace, she is pressing on. After reaching out, she inquired how I'm doing. I was moved to respond beyond the quick and superficial. I’m sharing outside my comfort zone here in hopes that my experience might be encouragement to anyone else:

I'm plugging away. Looking back over life I often think I've been afflicted with [in light of above, what I reasonably call] depression, and at times, perhaps even despair. I think all sensitive souls suffer from this. This quality makes us truly attuned to God, and His heart for others. Awareness of our emptiness drives us towards God in His fullness. Awareness of our emptiness is God's gift, enabling us to be vessels for His love pouring out to the world.

When I'm having a bout with anything like depression, I know it’s not God’s ultimate plan or desire. I recognize the whispers of the Enemy, often turning me in on myself, instead of having God's heart for others. I remember His self-revelation in Jesus Christ. His Love poured out for others. And in Jesus, I am reminded of my true, Christ-like, self-sacrificing nature (imago dei), so contrary to the world around me.

Who knows, maybe it's become so habitual ... woven into the way God works with me, that what I once might have regarded as "depression” I now recognize as God's prompting, His loving Hand beckoning me, drawing me deeper into prayer, that I might have His broken heart for others and reach out to them... as I did to you this morning.

All that to say, I don't know if you relate to any of this, but hear me proclaim: In your bouts with “depression,” you are not alone! Consider St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta! Mother Angelica! Jesus in the Garden! Pray to see this as God's design, inviting you to share His very Heart, to be His powerful instrument in this world!

So, how am I? At my core, I'm aware of how completely incomplete I am. I’m grateful for this grace, as it attunes me to His loving presence beckoning me deeper. I pray for greater trust. Greater humility. Greater faith. Greater abandon. Many good things we're involved with, but above all I just want God….

Emptiness designed for fulfillment in God. This is really the honest, human heart of our Catholic family and parish revival movement. It’s what’s drawing people together, to be real, to understand our nature in Jesus Christ, the way He walked, the path He paved, the way He calls us to follow! In Him our journey is marked by emptiness, that He might fill us, to the point of overflowing to the world!

I’m moved to consider, why do we cower from this testimony? It is the beating heart of Jesus Christ so alive in His Church, meant to capture and transform every person on the planet! Living it validates whether or not we are truly and fully receiving His Body Broken. It is our human DNA, our ultimate narrative. It is His means of uniting everyone on the planet in a missioned, Holy Communion!

When we cower or play games with living in and proclaiming this truth we deprive the world, everyone around us, from connecting with God’s design in our emptiness and, yes, “depression.”

It can not be stated strongly enough: Through our emptiness, “depression,” and suffering we are intimately connected to our true identity and mission in Jesus Christ!

Ironically, the greatest suffering is the massive, draining energy so many of us expend manufacturing and trying to maintain a false image of not suffering!

Consider: What did the all-powerful God of the Universe do? He could have chosen differently. At any moment He could have chosen differently. Jesus was abandoned. Rejected. Tortured. Stripped. Killed. The cross is the blessed truth of our nature in Jesus Christ:

Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

For those of us who desire divine grace, we need to consider: Are we attuned to God’s way for providing such grace?

Consider the beautiful words of St. Rose of Lima below:

If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights! No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to men.

Lord, increase my sufferings, and with them increase Your love in my heart. Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.

“Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know that without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This is the only true stairway to paradise, and without the cross they can find no road to climb to heaven.”

When I heard these words, a strong force came upon me and seemed to place me in the middle of a street, so that I might say in a loud voice to people of every age, sex and status: 'Hear, O people; hear, O nations. I am warning you about the commandment of Christ by using words that came from his own lips: We cannot obtain grace unless we suffer afflictions. We must heap trouble upon trouble to attain a deep anticipation in the divine nature, the glory of the sons of God and perfect happiness of soul.”

Herein is Satan's biggest problem: The Savior made suffering sanctifying. Suffering is the occasion of our intimacy with God. Here is the entire meaning and power of the Mass of Jesus Christ in our lives: "This is my Body, broken for you... take and eat."

The heart of Christianity is not simply knowledge or even soldier-like compliance with good words or actions, but intimacy with Jesus Christ. This Way was revealed in Jesus Christ. We’re to be emptied that He might be our fill. We’re to be broken that He might be our whole.

“By his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Our human wiring for wholeness, our attunement to the heart of God, is made beautifully possible through praying the Psalms.

Jesus and ancient Israel memorized the Psalms. Through the Psalms intimacy with God was able to “forever be on their lips.” (Psalm 34:1) This prayer was so much more than words memorized, but a basis for “human heart wiring for God.”

This is not simply meant to be a “thing of the past.” Priests and religious are vowed to pray the Psalms daily through the Divine Office. All of us lay people are invited to join in this Universal prayer of the Church, second only to the Mass. This is powerful. This has everything to do with our being wired to acknowledge our emptiness, as occasion of His fulfillment!

Our God-designed experience of emptiness, “depression” and the the like is further suggested by the prayer beginning every moment of the Divine Office: “Oh God, come to my assistance! Oh Lord, make haste to help me!”

Are we truly aware of our needs that beckon such a heartfelt cry? If not, we ought to consider if we’re merely just saying, and not really praying. We ought to consider if we’re rightly wired.

The Psalms are given to calibrate our hearts for God. They are given to attune our hearts to His design.

God deeply desires that we know Him, so as to anticipate His mighty power and presence in every aspect of our lives. If we were really praying the Psalms, we would heartfully exalt Him with every manifestation of His power, in awareness of who He is. And yes, we would just as heartfully repent of our sins, and beseech Him when He is seemingly absent!

God desires that our lives completely "rotate" around expectation of His living presence and action. God desires that we give living testimony to what we profess.

If any of this resonates with you, if any of it moves you, recognize that God desires to be far more a fleeting moment of feeling (in spite of the Enemy’s greatest attempts to have us reduce Him!). He desires us to be totally given to the movement of His heart. Don’t wait to “feel” it. Don’t wait to be entertained. Don’t wait to be inspired. Don’t wait for convenience. Discipleship of Jesus Christ is about knowing Him, so much that we commit to Him regardless of what we feel.

Join us in opening our hearts all the more to His real, healing, transforming power and presence alive in the world today.

Right now let’s commit to a life of exultant praise! Let’s recognize the truly miraculous “signs and wonders” (Acts. 5:12) He is manifesting by His Holy Spirit! Let’s see that this is happening in our community and many throughout the world, as we awaken to our God-designed emptiness as an occasion for His healing and transforming love pouring forth!

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