Sunday Afternoon Tea - The battle against being depressed this time of year

Placed high to keep the plant from Victoria's teeth... I'm loving the greenery in the kitchen!

"...To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, 

the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair..."

Isaiah 61: 3a NIV 

Every once in awhile as Autumn becomes Winter... and it is making the change earlier than usual this year... I have to fight the good battle of depression vs. joy.  Everyone goes through this, some more than others this time of year as we are on the cusp of the Holiday season.

If a Christian denies ever being depressed, I would look at them in disbelief.  If nothing else, they are fooling themselves.  For one cannot go through life without that garment of darkness coming on them.

Quite often I know why I feel darkness surrounding me.  I can point to the ground zero of circumstances.  Then there are days when darkness is nudging at me and I haven't a clue as to why I feel down, edgy, fearful... depressed.

It could be nothing urgent at all, just the fact that it is 5:00 PM and dark out the kitchen window.  Sometimes there was a reminder of "something" which brought sadness in the past and my current mood brings it all back.

There are even days when I never quite figure out the whys of being depressed, it just appears as a cloak over my shoulders.  And I'm pretty much a sanguine person.

Being depressed, getting depressed, feeling "down in the dumps"... they never mean we are not committed to Christ!

Do you remember when precious Mother Teresa passed away and the truth came out that she quite often dealt with heavy periods of depression, those "Dark Nights of the Soul"?  The secular press had a field day with the announcement for surely if this saint of a woman walked in darkness, how could there be a God?

But that truth had a far different outcome with me, and I believe many other people of Faith.  It showed us she was a human who felt deeply about the suffering going on around her.  I would have been more skeptical of her if she did not deal with depression in the midst of the world's great suffering where she ministered.

We knew God met her in her weakness and He became her strength.  He can do the same thing... and will do the same thing... for me and for you and for all of those who have accepted Jesus as our Savior.  The Holy Spirit lives within us and His strength shines in our weakness.

That cloak of depression is particularly easy to come upon us during the Holidays for that is when a magnified light is shown on the wounds of our life; the gift no longer received, the job that was lost, that the family now lives far away, the children are grown and at their in-laws house, the absence of longed for children around the tree, the empty space at the table.

Since I am by nature not one who likes being depressed (while the Puddleglums in my life do it so well), I do what I can to throw off the cloak of despair.  Does it work?  Usually.  It depends on the circumstances surrounding me at the time.  Some situations have been so deeply dark that I do well by just holding on.

But most of the time, when the trials are the "little foxes" nipping at my ankles reminding me we live in a fallen world... during those most common of days... I have found ways to free myself from doldrums that don't cost much or anything at all.

1. Reading the Word, especially Psalms.
2. Listening to music that inspires and draws me nearer Christ.
3. Listening to music that is just plain wonderful like John Denver.
4. Listening to Christmas music; the good, the silly, the saintly, the sappy.
5. Reading great books.
6. Treating myself to a cup of very good coffee... or tea... or apple cider.
7. Surrounding myself with real plants.
8. Watching sappy Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel.
9. Watching favorite movies on DVDs.
10. Tying on an apron and baking to Christmas music.
11. Giving life by Creating: food, scrapbook journals, needlework, etc.
12. Lighting scented candles.
13. Writing or texting someone I love.
14. Talking to God throughout the day.
15. Listening for a reply.

So it comes down to this.  More likely than not you will experience a moment of depression these next oh... six or seven weeks.  But that will be normal.  What is not... and what as a Christian you should wrestle against... is letting darkness overtake you.

We still live in a fallen world, in the midst of an epic universal battle between Good and evil.  I think perhaps the enemy of our soul absolutely hates Christmas.  So his minions work overtime to remind of us of everything that would bring upon us a cloak of depression.

Put on some music (I don't think they like Handel's Messiah, either), light safely placed candles (a reminder to those of us with cats!), and do something that brings you joy.  Whatever you do... don't do nothing at all.  Fight the good fight of faith... and nibble on a piece of really good chocolate.