SNIPPETS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

SNIPPETS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Genesis is the first book of the Bible and it means "The beginning."

God created the world in six days and rested on the 7th.

He created Adam first, then Eve. They lived in the Garden of Eden.

Satan took the form of a serpent and tempted Eve with fruit that God had forbidden them to eat. She encouraged Adam to eat the fruit and this became the first sin.

God was angry with them and drove them out of the Garden telling Adam he would have to toil the soil and Eve would suffer pain in childbirth.

Adam and Eve had 3 sons we know of but likely had more. They were: Cain, Abel and Seth, in that order.

Cain lured Abel into a field then killed Abel with a rock because he was jealous of him. So the first human death was a murder, a murder of a close family member.

God banned Cain from the land and sent him to Nod.

The people lived hundreds of years in those days so the earth began to populate quickly.

Jesus's lineage is traced back to Seth.

The people decided to build a tower to heaven which was called the Tower of Babel. This made God angry because othe people were acting high and mighty and so he confused the people by giving them different languages. The people grouped according to their given language.

Methuselah, Noah's grandfather, was the oldest man who ever lived:  969

Noah and the ark.

The earth becomes re-populated.

Shem, Ham and Japeth were Noah's sons.

Moses and other babies were ordered to be killed by the king.

His mother put him in a basket covered in pitch to keep water out and put him in the bulrushes. Then she told her daughter to watch what happened next. Pharoah's daughter went down to the water and one of her slave girls discovered Moses and brought him to Pharoah's daughter. She needed a nursemaid so while they were still in the bulrushes Moses's sister asked if Pharoah's daughter would like for her to find a nursemaid for the baby. Pharoah's daughter raised him as her own in the palace and his mother was the nursemaid.

Moses knew he was Hebrew and when he saw a Hebrew being mistreated, he killed the man who was trying to kill the Hebrew man. He was found out and knew he had to flee. He went to the desert area where he met a woman and married. He worked for her father as a shepherd. He had been in the desert 40 years when he saw a burning bush. The Lord spoke to him trough the bush and told him to go to Pharoah and ask him to let the Lord's people go. They had been slaves for 400 years. Each time Pharoah refused, God sent another plague, the last one being the death of the firstborn of the Egyptians. God sent a total of 10 plagues.

Pharoah relented after losing his own son but then regretted his decision and went after the people to reclaim them as his slaves.

Moses parted the Red Sea so the people could cross and when Pharoah and his army tried to cross, the pathway refilled with water and drowned them.

The people grumbled and complained while seeking the Holy Land, though they were finally free from slavery. God sent Joshua and Caleb into what would be the Holy Land to spy on them and gather information about the land. Joshua and Caleb brought back news about the giants and giant grape clusters but were ready to invade Jericho. But other spies and many of the people were too scared and complained instead of trusting God. God got tired of their complaining and lack of faith and made them wait 40 years wandering in the desert to enter Jericho.

During those 40 years Moses climbed Mt. Moriah where he was given the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God on stone tablets.

At the request of the people, Aaron, Moses's brother, built an idol of a golden calf while Moses was on the mountain. The people celebrated with orgies.

Moses threw the 10 Commandments to the ground in anger when he saw what was going on.

Moses went back up on the mountain to get another "copy" of the 10 Commandments.

They worshiped in a tabernacle or a large portable tent.

THANKS

THANKS

1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:35
Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.”

1 Chronicles 29:13
Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

2 Chronicles 5:13
The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud,

2 Chronicles 7:3
When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.”

2 Chronicles 7:6
The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the Lord’s musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

2 Chronicles 20:21
After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”

2 Chronicles 31:2
Hezekiah assigned the priests and Levites to divisions—each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites—to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to minister, to give thanks and to sing praises at the gates of the Lord’s dwelling.

Ezra 3:11
With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

Nehemiah 12:24
And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.

Nehemiah 12:27
At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres.

Nehemiah 12:31
I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on top of the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate.

Nehemiah 12:40
The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God; so did I, together with half the officials,

Nehemiah 12:46
For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the musicians and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

Psalm 7:17
I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 9:1
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 35:18
I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you.

Psalm 69:30
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 95:2
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psalm 106:1
Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 106:47
Save us, Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.

Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 107:8
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

Psalm 107:15
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

Psalm 107:21
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

Psalm 107:31
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

Psalm 118:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 118:19
Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.

Psalm 118:21
I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.

Psalm 118:29
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 119:62
At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.

Psalm 136:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

Psalm 136:2
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.

Psalm 136:3
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

Psalm 136:26
Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

Isaiah 51:3
The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

Jeremiah 30:19
From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.

Jeremiah 33:11
...the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever.” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.
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Daniel 6:10
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Matthew 14:19
And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

Matthew 15:36
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.

Matthew 26:26
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Matthew 26:27
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.

Mark 6:41
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.

Mark 8:6
He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so.

Mark 8:7
They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.

Mark 14:22
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

Mark 14:23
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

Luke 2:38
Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Luke 9:16
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people.

Luke 22:17
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you.

Luke 22:19
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Luke 24:30
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.

John 6:11
Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

John 6:23
Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

Acts 27:35
After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.

Romans 1:21
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Romans 6:17
But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.

Romans 7:25
Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Romans 14:6
Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

1 Corinthians 1:4
I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 10:16
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 11:24
and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

1 Corinthians 14:16
Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying?

1 Corinthians 14:17
You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.

1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:11
as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2 Corinthians 4:15
All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 8:16
Titus Sent to Receive the CollectionThanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.

2 Corinthians 9:11
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

2 Corinthians 9:12
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Ephesians 1:15
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,

Ephesians 1:16
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

Ephesians 5:4
Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

Ephesians 5:20
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:3
I thank my God every time I remember you.

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:10
Thanks for Their GiftsI rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.

Colossians 1:3
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

Colossians 1:12
...and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1 Thessalonians 1:2
We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

2 Thessalonians 1:3
Thanksgiving and Prayer rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.

1 Timothy 2:1
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—

1 Timothy 4:3
They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

1 Timothy 4:4
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

2 Timothy 1:3
I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.

Philemon 1:4
I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,

Revelation 4:9
Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,

Revelation 7:12
saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

SCIENCE IN THE BIBLE

 SCIENCE IN THE BIBLE

"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth..." Isaiah 40:22 (The earth is not flat, it does not sit on a turtle's back, Atlas doesn't hold it above his head.)

Credit goes to Sealing Time Ministries

LIGHTING UP LIVES

 

LIGHTING UP LIVES

Ps. 18:28b - ". . .my God turns my darkness into light."

Ps. 19:8 - "The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.  The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes."

Ps. 43:3a - "Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me. . ."

Ps. 43:5 - "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

Ps. 112:4-8 - "Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes."

Isa. 8:2 - “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

Isa. 42:16b - "I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them."

Isa. 58:10 - ". . .and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."

Matt. 11:28-30 - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Jn 8:12 - "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"

 ““I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

 

SOMETHING YOU CAN FLAUNT

 

SOMETHING YOU CAN FLAUNT

When someone bullies you,

Or you must endure a taunt,

Don’t hang your head or cower,

Here is something you can flaunt.

You are the child of a king,

And one day you’ll wear a crown.

You’ll be a prince or princess;

Don’t let anyone get you down.

Some people may avoid you,

Just because you are poor,

But you will have riches in glory,

And live in a mansion galore.

No one on earth is perfect,

So you might have a physical flaw,

In heaven you’ll have no blemish,

Of yourself you will be in awe.

So the next time you are bullied,

And the taunting doesn’t end,

Just look your enemy in the eye,

And say, “I love you, my friend.”

For whatever problem you have on earth,

Whatever you must endure.

Life is but as the blink of the eye,

And heaven is the cure.

Becky Wall

 

MY SON JOHN

MY SON JOHN

My son John was riding through the little town of Nashville, IL on his bicycle on his way to school one day looking upward at the sign his dad had made for a business there in town. Because he wasn't watching where he was going, he ran into the back of a pickup truck, went flying through the air and landed sprawled across a big machine part in the back of the truck. Fearing the owner would come out of the business and wonder what he was doing in the back of his truck, he climbed out in a hurry and walked his bike the rest of the way to school because it was no longer rideable. When he got home he told me what happened in his laid-back way and when he finished I asked if anyone stopped to help him. He said, "Yow one man stopped but he just laughed and laughed."

My older sister and I, my two kids and her son were walking through the woods my older sister and her then husband had just purchased in Millstadt, IL. They were going to build a house on the property. My youngest sister was also with us. She went on ahead with my little son then all of a sudden she came running back to us terrified. We asked her what was wrong but she could hardly speak. Finally she got the word "snake" out and that was enough. I took off running toward my son who had stayed where they were and was standing perfectly still. We knew there were Copperhead snakes on their property but we failed to take that into consideration. I had to slow down before I got to my son so I wouldn't startle the snake. It was coiled and was having a staring contest with my son, who was standing there peacefully. I stood back as far as I could from my son and grabbed him from behind and got away from it. We had had enough of our tour of their woods so walked back to the car, but I had to put my son down because my knees weren't holding both of us. They had gone weak and shakey.

A more humorous life experience: My older sister, Linda, and I were looking for a parking place in Belleville, IL. Traffic had stopped at an intersection and a nun walked across the street with her habit flowing behind her in the wind. She had just purchased a broom. My son, just a toddler at the time, exclaimed, "Look, Mom! There's a witch!" Trying not to laugh I responded with "That's not a witch, honey, that's a nun." He said "Yes it is too. See she even has a broom." About that time we found a parking spot but we were laughing so hard we could hardly walk cross the street. 

Many years ago I had a pair of scissors in my hand about the time company came through the door, so I laid the scissors on the kitchen counter thinking that since the counter was taller than my son was, he couldn't reach them. I went to greet our company while going back through the kitchen. I looked down the hall and there was my young son running down the hall with the scissors pointed up. I just about had a heart attack. I couldn't get to him fast enough -- literally -- because he tripped and fell with those scissors pointed up. I picked him up while imagining the worst, but God must've sent an angel because all he had was a crease in the protective film on his eye. God has blessed that kid and us so many times. Don't you know his guardian angel is exhausted, though.

My then husband and I were in the kitchen doing our normal kitchen things when all of a sudden we both saw a bright flash of light come from our little son's bedroom at the end of the hall. We ran as fast as we could to his room to see what happened. He was just lying in his bed with eyes as big as saucers. We looked around the room and saw a melted nail under an outlet. I couldn't tell John was shocked in any way. Not even his fingers were burned. Once again, thank you God. He is now in his 50s and a grandfather.

We lived on an acre that was narrow and long. My son was playing in our back yard. He was a little more than a toddler. He was in the company of a bumble bee. Somehow he made the bumble bee madder than a hornet and the bee took out after him. I was surprised at how fast his little legs could run. He almost made it to the far end of the property where pine trees were growing and he tripped. When he did, the bee lost track of him and whizzed over him. All I could do was watch from the sliding glass doors in the dining room nurturing near heart attack #400. He was fine.

My dad loved to fish. Several of us older siblings were visiting our parents with our kids. They were still young. Dad decided to take my son and one of the youngest of his cousins out in the boat to fish. While they were fishing, a sudden storm came up -- a gullywasher. I was at home worrying and so was my youngest sister, the mother of the cousin that went fishing with Dad and my son. They ran into a small problem when the storm hit. The car was on the other side of the lake. So Dad headed for the other side. My son is laid-back and doesn't panic easily, or at least he didn't back then. He has his own kids now. That changes things. Back to my story, when they finally made it home I asked my son if he was afraid. He answered "No." I said, "Well, didn't water get in the boat?" He replied, "Yes, but we just poured it out."

My two kids, two of their cousins and the mother of the cousins were at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. We mothers let the kids go on the rides while we stayed on solid ground. We were chatting away when all of a sudden my son and his sidekick ran up to us and said the girls were on a ride. He could hardly get the words out. I wasn't concerned at first because I thought maybe they were scared on the ride and my son was scared for his sister. As it turned out, all four kids were scared because the roller coaster ride the two girls were on had stopped on the highest part of the roller coaster with a broken wheel The girls discussed whether or not they were going to die because they didn't see how they could possibly get down. They were terrified. Part of what confused me when my son told me they were stuck on the ride is that he expressed his fear as anger. So my mind went the wrong direction. I wondered why they were into it this time. He wasn't and isn't an angry person, never threw tantrums, didn't throw things or get mouthy, but he was angry then. He actually taught me a psychology lesson that day. Just because a person acts angry doesn't mean the person is truly angry; they may be afraid. My son expressed that same anger when he thought his sister had been kidnapped while sprinting down the country road. She went out of our sight, which was unusual, but she had just turned a corner and went farther than usual. Fortunately the girls weren't stuck on the ride too terribly long and we could all relax.

I had no sooner finished writing these true life stories about "my son John" when he was told he had cancer. Since he is a private person, I will keep the details private. He went through surgery, seven weeks of radiation therapy once a day except weekends, and chemo once a week. The things he had to go through in preparation for the radiation treatments were, in my opinion, horrendous. He had to be hospitalized for a week partway through the treatments. During his surgery and treatments, hundreds of people were praying for him.

His final treatment was scheduled but he couldn't make it because he was vomiting. It was scheduled again but he couldn't make it this time because the reservoir across the road was flooding and he couldn't get out. The secondary dam had breached. So he went out and filmed it. 

The video was all over the local news. He didn’t respond to CNN’s request to use it globally or he would have had more views than the 142,000 views on facebook alone. The video told the story of the flood but there was another story behind the flood story and that was his personal story. John is cancer-free and is recovering at a normal pace. He is back at work except when he has to take time off for hospital visits in St. Louis, local doctor visits, and tests. He still welcomes prayers.

Here is the link to John's video of the secondary dam breach across the road from his house. His house was unaffected.

https://www.facebook.com/john.wall.5205/videos/295080710294386

DEALING WITH A PERSON WITH DEPRESSION

DEALING WITH A PERSON WITH DEPRESSION

Dealing With a Person With Depression

Most of us have had a bout of depression. Some have deep or clinical depression. Their world is dark, hopeless, unloving, hurtful, and everything and everybody are seen in a negative light. Maybe I should say a negative darkness. Many with depression will say they feel as if a dark cloud is hanging over them or that a dark blanket envelops them when they walk away from a well lit area filled with "normal" people and into their own living space.

People who have overcome depression are more empathetic toward others, especially those who are going through a bout of depression. Sometimes just talking it out makes a big difference. People who have had situational depression or worse are better equipped to handle a future situation because they have been through a storm or storms and realize the sun will shine again. They actually become stronger.

Encourage the person with depression to pour his or her emotions into an art form such as singing, playing an instrument, writing, sculpting, etc. If the person is into sports, give it his/her all. An art form without emotions poured into it is like the difference between creative writing and a newspaper article. And playing sports half-heartedly almost guarantees a loss.

Does the person have ADHD? Persons with ADHD have excess energy and emotions and therefore when they become adults, they fit right in with the teenagers. They have the energy to lead them while the rest of us have lost energy. They have trouble focusing but when they do, they can take their thoughts to a level others don't. Having ADHD is not a bad thing, though many with ADHD get depressed until they learn to corral their emotions and behavior. Then they often excel. Encourage the person who has it to use it for the good.

Self-discipline is needed in order to be an overcomer of suicidal thoughts, depression or anxiety. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize" I Corinthians 9:24-27, NIV. Focus on serving others and give it your all. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..." Eccl. 9:10a.

If you do happen to speak to someone with suicidal thoughts or comments, try to learn if they are serious, though even then a person can't be sure they are being forthright. Find out if they have a plan and if they do, how would they do it--cut their wrist, use a weapon, jump off a building, drown themselves, overdose on drugs? Has their normal behavior changed? Do they have dark circles around their eyes indicating lack of sleep or other health problems. Ask them when is the last time they slept and ate. That is important. Are they taking the medicine they have been prescribed, if any?

Keep them talking if they look like they're going to take action. Ask them who would be hurt by their actions? Ask if they have a pet. What is their favorite season? Remind them it will come around again. What sport do they like? What team? Do they like to swim? What was the funnest thing they ever did. What was their most embarrassing moment? Tell them one of yours. (For me it was waving good-bye to my boyfriend in jr. high and turning around and walking into a tree with him still watching.)

If the person has been "dumped" by a boyfriend or girlfriend, don't minimize their feelings. Sympathize with them. Memorize the following scripture verses but don't worry if you have a difficult time memorizing book, chapter and verse (like Romans 12:15). "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." (Luke 6:21) "Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep." (Luke 6:25) When a person is hurting now, their emotional pain will eventually turn to joy. God will punish those who cause pain to others instead of showing love. Those who laugh at a hurting person will be brought to tears. Our charge is to "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15) no matter the reason.