 | | Dr. Colleen Hammermaster |
by Dr. Colleen Hammermaster
Carol* was a church worker. She had a wonderful life...or so people thought. She appeared happy, successful, and had healthy, fulfilling relationships with others. However, that was just the appearance.
The way she felt on the inside was much different from the way she appeared. She always felt like she wasn't as good as other people; she wasn't smart enough, attractive enough, or successful enough. And to make it worse, she feared others could see she was "less than" in so many ways. Her life was filled with fear, worry, and sadness. She dreaded being around people because she always felt she had to prove she was worth something. Often she felt like she was a big fake, pretending she was something she was not. She worried about the future, because there was nothing to look forward to, other than more disappointment and feelings of inadequacy. She felt sad, tired, and hopeless, and most of the time struggled to get out of bed to face another day of more of the same. Carol was suffering from depression.
Depression is a devastating illness that affects the whole person physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Many with symptoms of depression believe they have some purely physical illness rather than depression. (See "Four Major Symptoms of Clinical Depression"). It is one of the most common problems people experience. Studies show that between ten and 20 percent of adults in Canada will experience an episode of depression serious enough that professional help is necessary.
The Bible records the depressive symptoms of people such as Job, Moses, Elijah, David, and Jeremiah. Depression is not something new, but what is new is the way we look at it and seek and find solutions.
How does depression happen?
Biochemical changes take place in the human nervous system during clinical depression. Research reveals that relatives of depressed individuals have a significantly higher incidence of depression than the general population. Scientific studies have also shown that women are more prone to depression. However, this is not to suggest that genetics are a primary cause of depression. It is not a case of "bad genes," although a family history of depression may predispose you toward developing clinical depression, particularly if you are under stress.
Situational stresses can also precipitate or trigger depression. Specifically, a loss, such as the losses Job suffered, is the most common stress that precipitates depression. Anger turned inward, guilt, or a blow to your self-image can also trigger depression.
One thing all the symptoms of depression have in common is they involve feelings of inadequacy. It attacks us at our most vulnerable point--our sense of worth and our reason for being. If we are not equipped to defend our self-worth using Christ's truth, then we are at risk for depression.
Rooted in Eden
We need to begin by acknowledging our legacy of sin that plagues us every minute of our existence and began with Adam and Eve. Our fall from grace began our legacy of sin.
The apostle Paul had an ongoing awareness of his sinfulness..." I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature" (Romans 7:18).
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It is clear that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And that apart from God we are nothing and will achieve nothing good.
Our source of worth
In Romans 12:3 we read, "For by the grace given me I say to everyone of you: Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Here, the Bible warns us not to think more highly than we ought. This is not to suggest that we should consider our selves as waste, or of no value. If we were a wasted humanity, would God our heavenly Father have sacrificed His only Son as a demonstration of His utter goodness and grace to us, broken, yet redeemable beings?
...the self-help psychology movement misdirected people to focus completely on themselves and their own happiness...
We are of great worth to God our Creator, and through Him we can do great things!
Our self-worth comes not from who we are or what we do, but rather from knowing that we have been totally forgiven and fully accepted by the God who planned our existence. It involves a growing awareness of our value to God our maker. It is a self-esteem that enables us to accept unashamedly our strengths and weaknesses, and our capabilities. It includes an awareness that God is transforming us from the inside out.
You are a special creation of a good and all powerful God. You are the climax of His creation. You are created in His image, with capacities to think, feel, and worship that set you above all other life forms.
People in a state of depression lack this basic and necessary truth. (Sometimes those who grow up in a dysfunctional home, believe--or have been told--they are worthless, and that nothing is good about them. This is where Satan creeps in to begin to create the distorted thoughts, beliefs and feelings that one day become depression.)
This is not to say we are good in and of ourselves. The problem arises when we try to feel good about ourselves based on who we are, what we've done, our status, or what we own. A healthy self-image is seeing yourself as God sees you--no more, no less. Neither should we be proud and indulge in self-love.
*Not her real name.
This article was contributed by Colleen Hammermaster, a Christian counselling psychologist. She has worked at Concordia University College of Alberta in Edmonton for 11 years, counselling students and staff, and teaching University courses in Educational Psychology. She has also worked in the hospital setting as well as in the Psychiatric Hospital setting. For the past 8 years she has been providing counselling services in her own private practice. She has counselled hundreds of individuals struggling with a wide variety of emotional issues and problems, and has led many workshops and presentations for both private and public agencies. Dr. Hammermaster has a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Alberta, and has written many articles of relevance to Christians on topics such as: how to stop worrying, avoiding the time crunch, preventing burnout, self-esteem in relationships, and coping with depression.
August 7/2008
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