A Southern Pastor: There Is Help


I experience depression. There are moments in my life which feel so large that I simply can’t seem to comfortably get my mind around them.

I am not suicidal, and my life is filled with gifts and blessings for which I am eternally grateful, and in which I find immeasurable joy. Depression doesn’t define my life, but it does interrupt it.

I make excuses to not attend events with my friends. I fake being sick so that I don’t have to leave the house. And I feel overwhelmed and exhausted even if I stay in my pajamas and don’t get out of bed all day. It’s painful and can last for hours or even days.

I wonder how many others feel this kind of pain. And I wonder even more how many do so in silence, not really knowing why they feel the way they do, and not having any idea how to get help. There is help for depression.

Get help.

There are hotlines and websites which can be a place to start. Talk to your doctor and tell them exactly what you feel and how often you feel it. Speak to your pastor, your teacher, or a friend. But don’t suffer in silence or alone.

I am a Christian. First, I take the medication and follow the advice of the medical professionals I have consulted. But then, I turn to my Bible and to my faith in a loving God for solace and support, sitting in prayer and meditation, allowing the healing power of the Holy Spirit to touch my soul and make me feel whole again.

Suffering from depression doesn’t mean you are weak. In fact, some of the strongest people I have ever known accomplished many great things while dealing with the illness of depression. And it is an illness. You haven’t done anything wrong. It’s okay; you are not alone.


My faith in God sustains me when I feel broken. And I want you to know that there is hope, even when it feels like there isn’t.

Many Blessings.

Psalm 147:3-5

He heals the brokenhearted,
    and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
    he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
    his understanding is beyond measure.

 

Melanie Tubbs is a professor, pastor, mother, Mimi, and true Arkansas woman. She lives with nine cats and one dog on a quiet hill in a rural county where she pastors a church and teaches history at the local university. Her slightly addictive personality comes out in shameful Netflix binges and a massive collection of books. Vegetarian cooking, reading mountains of books for her seminary classes, and crocheting for the churches prayer shawl ministry take up most of her free time, and sharing the love of Christ forms the direction of her life. May the Peace of Christ be with You.