This morning as I was reading some of my blogs I kept seeing a reoccurring theme. "I've been depressed." "I'm hurting." "I need help." These comments are from pastors and leaders. Depression, as one mental health specialist defines it, is the common cold of mental health. Everyone gets depressed, the question is, are you going to stay that way?
All of us have had our ups and downs. Some are minor while others feel like the first drop on a big roller coaster. This doesn't mean that your bi-polar, it means that you are alive. Satan would have you believe that once your down you can't get up. I've watched a few prize fights and if there is one thing that amazes me it's when a fighter gets up after getting hit so hard they can't stand up. Doesn't seem like a good idea at the time, but fighters don''t quit - they fight for the prize.
When Paul tells us to fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12) it leads me to believe that there is going to be some stress involved. Someone is going to get knocked down. Life will do that on it's own and Satan will take advantage of ever opportunity to tempt us and knock us down again. Now in Luke 14 the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith! I have no idea if they understood that this was going to raise their stress levels, but it did, didn't it? They were stressed out at His crucifixion, they were stressed about His resurrection, they stressed about how to be His church in Acts. They were stressed when persecuted. Notice that they never gave up. Pray for faith and stress will come. I believe every disciple, early Christian and Jesus Himself will say. It will be worth it all!
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