Monday, August 15, 2011

Cure for depression...

I remember reading Rich Mullins' biography (one of my favorites) 5-6 years ago. A couple things stuck out to me... and these are rough paraphrases, mind you.

1) Rich said he didn't worry about eating stuff like french fries b/c God would take him, whenever He saw fit, whether he ate healthy or not. ( And God did take him, a la Keith Green-another great biography- suddenly and without warning)

I use this as fascetious response to 'detractors' of fast-food diets

2) Rich talked about dealing with depression at different points in his life. And one of the best remedies for depression, he shared, was to get outside, take a walk around the block, and be reminded of how big the trees are, and how much bigger the world is than our problems, and, consequently, how much bigger God is.

So... I've been living under some storm clouds since last Thursday. It's a classic example of things not going as I had hoped or planned, and the result was a derailment of my mental and emotional focus.

So... I needed some 'elevation therapy'  and perspective, and so I went hiking...

The mountains have a way of putting me ( and my worries) in perspective. And for those moments when I doubt moving from seeming stability to (at least perceived/felt) instability, they are part of a series of reminders that I'm where I need to be right now.

And I found a good place to journal some thoughts on the back end of 6 miles of hiking...


and then...
I went to church, and the pastor miraculously 'preached right at me' and reminded me to get over myself and get busy doing what God wants me to do for His kingdom. And, in that, I'll find joy and purpose.

And, for the third week in a row, we sang a song with some reference to Psalm 121 ( "I lift my eyes to the mountains; where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth...)

And I just smiled and shook my head, and realized that I can't escape.

And I'm glad that I can't.

And I'll probably need reminders of all this stuff tomorrow, or next week. And I'm learning that God is good at reminding, whether I/we like it or not.

And I'm thankful, in my instability, that the mountains are so close to remind me where my Help is found.

And if I start one more sentence with the word, "And," I realize that I'll lose all the good-will of my blog readership...

(And) so, I'll stop...  and encourage you to eat french fries (everything in moderation, right?) and take a walk outside.

1 comments:

Rebecca August 16, 2011 at 5:13 AM  

"And" this is the third or fourth reminder in just a few days that I want to read Rich Mulin's biography. I held a paperback version of it in my hands once, read random parts of it, and told myself I wanted to read it slowly and carefully. Years have passed, and I haven't.

French fries and depression are both topics dear to my heart. I wish I were closer to the mountains.... "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so Yahweh surrounds his people from this time forth and forevermore." Ps. 125:2

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