When we feel alone…Jesus is there for us.
When we feel rejected…Jesus is there for us.
When life is cruel to us…Jesus is there for us.
In all these situations, pray, because Jesus is there for you, and will help you.
Archive for the ‘depression’ Category
Prayer Is…
Posted: May 10, 2013 in depression, friendship, life, love, music, religionTags: Christianity, God, hillsong, hillsong London, james montgomery, Jesu, Opposing Views, Organizations, prayer, Religion and Spirituality
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Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed,
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.
Prayer is the burden of a sigh`
The falling of a tear;
The upward glancing of an eye
When none but God is near.
by James Montgomery (1771-1854)
My Pilot
Posted: May 6, 2013 in bereavement, death, depression, family, friendship, Health, heaven, life, love, religion, Rutherglen, Salvation Army, transportation, wordsTags: Air safety, Autopilot, Christ, Cockpit, Delhi, First Officer (civil aviation), Flight attendant, God, India, Jesus, parents
In the last couple of months I’ve spoken several times about how I’ve felt as if I’m running on auto pilot. But do you understand what i mean?
A pilot is normally associated with aeroplanes, however a pilot is really just described as someone who leads or guides. So for me what that meant was, I was going through the motions, doing and saying all the things I was supposed to without really feeling as though I was really there or really in control of what I was saying or doing…I was there in person but my mind was definitely elsewhere thinking about my Dad and my Aunt Mae who died within 6 weeks of one another earlier this year.
I am just thankful that particularly in these last couple of months, I’ve had a great pilot to guide me…Jesus!
I’m reminded of a chorus we used to sing:
I have a pilot who guides me Night and day; Through cloud and sunshine I trust him, Come what may. Dangers may threaten but I never fear; I’m full of confidence while he is near; I have a pilot who guides me Along life’s way.I have certainly found those words reassuring in the last while, I hope you do too.
See It Through
Posted: May 4, 2013 in children, depression, friendship, life, love, management, personnel characteristics, war, weather, wordsTags: Edgar Guest, God
See It Through by Edgar A. Guest (1881-1959)
When you’re up against a trouble,
Meet it squarely, face to face;
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace.
When it’s vain to try to dodge it,
Do the best that you can do;
You may fail, but you may conquer,
See it through!
Black may be the clouds about you
And your future may seem grim,
But don’t let your nerve desert you;
Keep yourself in fighting trim.
If the worst is bound to happen,
Spite of all that you can do,
Running from it will not save you,
See it through!
Even hope may seem but futile,
When with troubles you’re beset,
But remember you are facing
Just what other men have met.
You may fail, but fall still fighting;
Don’t give up, whate’er you do;
Eyes front, head high to the finish.
See it through!
So whatever you’re doing, and however you are feeling, don’t give up, keep going…You can make it through!
Endless
Posted: March 21, 2013 in bereavement, children, death, dementia, depression, family, friendship, Health, heart, heaven, hospital, life, love, music, religion, wordsTags: Apologetics, Christianity, Dads, disease, Existence of God, family, father, God, Health, home, parent, Religion and Spirituality, suan best, support
There are some things which can seem endless. Some that are good and some not so good. Things like the love and support from family and friends can feel endless which is obviously good. While a continual string of bad or events which affect your life are the complete opposite.
I’ve felt for the last few years that my life has just been one constant struggle after another between my own health problems as well as health problems and other issues affecting other members of my family. This has all culminated in the last few weeks with my Dad passing away and now my 90-year-old aunt being admitted to hospital a couple of weeks ago with a bad chest infection and not eating or drinking, and then just a few days ago being told my aunt had probably had a stroke and it was unlikely she’d pull through.
How does that make me feel? Well at times I question God, as I’m sure we all do sometimes, “why me?”, but other times I acknowledge that God wouldn’t let me go through these experiences if he didn’t think I could handle them.
That doesn’t make me feel any better during these tough days, and it of course doesn’t make my life any easier, but it does remind me that God lives me and walks beside me in all situations, even though it may feel to me that he’s deserted me.
So when you are going through what seems like an endless string of bad things, remember God is there and is supporting you in all at all times.
The following video of Susan Best singing God is Always There will hopefully help you remember that God is always there for you:
Managing Grief #5
Posted: March 15, 2013 in bereavement, blogging, death, depression, family, friendship, Health, life, love, religion, wordsTags: God, grief, Grief Loss and Bereavement, Health, Lord, mental health, Personal boundaries, Psalm, shopping
As you’ll know if you’re a regular reader of my blog, I’ve been writing a number of posts giving some thoughts on how to cope with the death of a loved one.
Today I want to focus on boundaries…your boundaries!
Protect your boundaries – You are the only one who truly knows and understands how you feel and how you are coping with your grief.
Some will avoid speaking to you as they will find it difficult to know what to say to you, others will offer words of comfort and extend their sympathies to you. Some will extend invitations to you, or ask you to take on tasks – Don’t pressurize yourself into saying, “Yes“. Instead, give yourself permission to say, “No thank you” or “I’ll pass on it for now”. Remember it’s about you, and how you are feeling, it’s not about any one else.
Another way of protecting your personal boundaries is to accept an invitation from someone, but put some limits on it. e.g. Tell them, “Yes, I will be happy to join you, but please know that I may have to excuse myself a little earlier than others”.
Finally, remember when you’ve suffered a bereavement it’s ok to protect your personal boundaries. However if you accept an invitation that’s been offered to you, don’t fret about it, because the anticipation of the occasions is always much worse than it actual turns out to be. Rest assured that, with God‘s grace, the occasion will not be nearly as difficult as you think it will.
“The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” ~ Psalm 34:18
Managing Grief #3
Posted: March 7, 2013 in bereavement, blogging, death, depression, family, Food, friendship, Health, language, life, love, musicTags: death, DEER, grief, Grief Loss and Bereavement, Health, McFly, mental health, shopping
As I’ve mentioned in several previous blog posts (Managing Grief #1 and #2), I’m doing a series of blog posts on how to manage grief following the loss of a loved one.
Today, it’s all about you!
One of the most important things to do following a bereavement is to make sure you look after yourself physically. We can so often be caught up organising the funeral and taking care of all the practical things that need done following the death of a loved one, that we forget to look after our own health.
If there has been a period of hospital visiting prior to your loved one passing away, it’s likely that you have been rushing around doing all your normal daily tasks plus visiting them in hospital every day, and that can have a detrimental affect on your health, never mind coping with their death!
So take care of yourself physically, because you will be no use to anyone if you are ill, and your grieving process will be even harder if you don’t feel well.
I came across the following acronym and found it useful, so please try to remember this and follow its instructions:
DEER
- Drink
- Eat
- Exercise
- Rest
Invisible = Non Existent?
Posted: March 2, 2013 in arthritis, bereavement, cancer, death, dementia, depression, Health, heart, life, loveTags: Chronic pain, Clinics and Practices, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Medical Specialties, Medicine, pain, Pain Management
When you think of pain, what do you think of?
Do you think when someone is in pain it is always visible to others?
Don’t be fooled by a common misconception that someone’s pain is always visible. In fact I would like to point out that there are many people who go through each and every day in severe pain, but because they don’t show it on their face or don’t vocalise their pain to others, it is invisible to everyone but the sufferer.
Not all scars show. Not all wounds heal. Sometimes, you can’t always see the pain someone feels.
Therefore, do not judge others or assume you know how they are feeling, just because “they look ok” – looks can often be deceptive!
Stress and Strain
Posted: February 26, 2013 in bereavement, children, death, dementia, depression, family, friendship, Health, heaven, life, love, pray, prayer, religionTags: Alzheimer's disease, Alzheimer's Research UK, brain, Dementia, funeral, Multi-infarct dementia
Take from our souls the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess, the beauty of your peace
I could really do with some of that these last few days!
As many of you will know, my Dad passed away last Thursday morning after suffering from vascular dementia for a number of years. In many ways it’s a relief that Dad has passed away as in these last few years, he’s had no life, and there was no chance of him ever getting better, only worse. Dad’s last few days were painful for us to watch, and he would never have wanted to live like this, so it’s probably for the best that he has passed away
My Dad professed no faith, but as my cousin said the other day, “He (my Dad) had many other qualities”. God has never wanted or expected us all to be good at the same things, so I believe that although Dad professed no faith, God’s qualities and talents were God-given.
It’s been a difficult time for Mum and me, so I’d like to take this opportunity to ask those of you who are praying people, to say a prayer for us tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday 27th February) as we say our final farewell to Dad. Many thanks for the love/support you have already shown my family during these difficult days, it has been very much appreciated by all of us.
Rest in peace Dad xxx
Getting Throught It
Posted: February 14, 2013 in death, depression, family, Health, heart, hospital, life, love, music, pray, religionTags: Christianity, Church of God - Cleveland Tennessee, Churches of God, Denominations, God, Local Churches, Religion & Spirituality, Tim Hughes, United States
In the last couple of weeks I keep coming across references to the following quote:
God may not get us out of a situation, but He will give us the strength to get through it.
I don’t think it’s coincidence that I’ve been reminded of this quote on a regular basis recently, because, as many of you will know, there are a number of situations going on in my life just now which mean I’ve finding life quite difficult at present.
The one consolation I have is that I truly believe the above words…that God will give me the strength to get through it! Therefore, no matter how distant God may seem to you just now, don’t give up, because God is with you, and He will help you get through these difficult days.
The Elephant in the Room…Depression
Posted: February 11, 2013 in animals, blogging, depression, friendship, language, life, love, wordsTags: depression, Disorders, Health, illness, isolated, lonely, Major depressive disorder, mental health, Mood, suffering, support, Support group, unloved, unwanted
I was deeply saddened recently when i thought a fellow Christian was
accusing me of being unchristian because my blog mentioned depression and linked to other sites about depression.
I couldn’t believe it, as sadly depression can be experienced by anyone at anytime – It’s an illness, and one which doesn’t care what nationality you are, your ethnicity or your religious beliefs (if any). i.e. Depression can hit anybody at any time in their life.
Depression is something many consider to be a taboo subject i.e. something we shouldn’t talk openly about. However I personally I feel its only a taboo subject for those who have never suffered from depression, as in my experience those who have suffered depression at some point in their life, are more willing to talk about it to others because when you’ve suffered from depression, you then realise how important it is to for sufferers to be able to talk about how they feel and their struggle to cope.
It’s a horrible illness which can leave the sufferer feeling lonely, isolated and even unwanted or unloved. So let’s not hide from the elephant in the room which is depression, but instead let’s talk about it openly about it, so we can give those suffering from depression all the love and support they need to get through their illness.
Let’s #taketimetotalk
