We are in that time of year that is filled with so many holiday activities. It is the time of year when many people will be depressed. The Christmas season is uplifting for many, but for a significant number of others, it is depressing, even for Christians.
Why do people become depressed? Sometimes it is a chemical imbalance in the brain, but perhaps most of the time it is the result of our thinking patterns.
Our feelings generally follow our thoughts, so that when we are able to utilize healthy thought patterns, we can, in most cases, work through depressive feelings.
We have an example of this mood disorder called depression in 1 Kings 19:4, when the prophet Elijah “went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die and said, ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
Elijah was feeling depressed because his thinking was distorted. Some people today have to contend with PLM syndrome (“poor little me”), and that attitude almost always leads to a depressed mood. It has been suggested that Elijah might have been imbibing on this attitude himself.
“The Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorder” says, “Depressed people consistently distort their interpretations of events so that they maintain negative views of themselves, the environment and the future. A conclusion is reached that is not justified by the evidence. Different things can trigger depressive thinking: a scent, a person, an accent, words, circumstances, events, a season, etc. Perception is a major ingredient in either healthy thinking or unhealthy thought patterns. Isaiah 26:3 says, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.”
The temptation to succumb to depressive thinking is everywhere. Negativity abounds in our society. But the good news is that we can change our thinking and thus change our feelings. When depression is identified early, there appears to be about 90 percent or better chance that it can be cured.
This Christmas, may we all not just keep Christ in Christmas, but keep our minds fixed on Him as well.