Why Is Life So Hard?

by Rick Warren

“All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.” (Isaiah 53:6 NLT)

Everything seems to be a battle. Nothing is easy. The fact is, life is difficult.

So, why is life so hard in this world?

The Bible says rebellion against God broke everything.

It all started back with the first couple, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden. When God created the world, everything was perfect. It was paradise. And Adam and Eve had no problems, suffering, sadness, temptations, or troubles.

But one day Adam and Eve decided that they wanted to do what they wanted to do. God told them, “You can do anything you want to in this paradise except one thing.” And what did Adam and Eve do? The one thing God told them not to do.

Why Did God Sit Me on the Shelf?

Dr. Julie Barrier,


Just got home. Opened the frig. An odiferous gallon of sour milk reminds me that I should have pitched it days ago. Milk has a short shelf life. The rotten cow juice makes my Cheerios taste like poo.

Avocados are the food of the gods, in my estimation. Especially if you pair them with salsa and Doritos. If you grab avocados in the grocery, they are rock-hard and tasteless. Stick them in a sunny windowsill for two days and they become silky and succulent. Leave them too long and they become brown and pasty. Blech. Their shelf life is miniscule. 

Hostess Twinkies have a shelf life of fifty years. I’m not kidding. Hostess is out of business, but the cream filling may be re-purposed as cement for space stations in 2050.

Crushed In Spirit

Written by Barbara Alpert

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

When sadness and depression settles into one’s mind, heart, and soul it is not easy to shuck the feelings off, break out of the rut and move on as some may suggest or think. At times, inner despair remains regardless of the goodwill offered from those that care. If this sounds like you, realize you are not alone. Many others have or are currently battling with valleys of darkness too.

Are you aware that numerous men and women of the Bible struggled with sadness? Yes, God believing people experienced depressed feelings, emotional grief, and times of despair. Moses asked God to take his life (Numbers 11:10-15), Job cursed the day of his birth (Job 3:1-26), Jonah was angry with God and wanted to die (Jonah 4:3-9). Hanna grieved because her womb remained closed for many years (1 Samuel 1:1-16), Tamara, after her brother raped her, lived a desolate life (2 Samuel 13:1-21), Naomi was filled with bitterness and pain after experiencing multiple hardships (Ruth 1:1-20), Hagar sobbed in the desert as her son was about to die (Genesis 21).

OUR SPIRITS BLOSSOM WHEN WE SING

Paul Estabrooks

God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:6

Our Open Doors colleague, Ron Boyd-MacMillan, shares the following insight from his teaching, “Why I Need to Encounter the Persecuted Church.”

Chinese evangelist, Mrs Yang, was visited by another full time preacher who was very downcast. The preacher wanted to buy a tape player, but had no money. Mrs Yang sat down and just began to sing to him. Her voice was deep and scratchy, the tune barely discernible, the words simple: I am a wanderer, my home is in heaven/ Life is fleeting/ Our home is in heaven/ In this world we have many trials/ And sadness and sickness/ True happiness is not in this world/ But in heaven.

I Wasn’t Ready to be a Grandma!

Written by Joan Giesbrecht

“Mom, embrace it!”

My initial response to Amber’s words were, “Yeah, right, that’s easy for you to say.” But within seconds I thought, “She’s right. I really don’t have any other choice.” But with that “embrace” has come anguish as we’ve grieved but also much joy as we’ve seen God’s blessing in both the journey and the arrival of this precious little boy. While this event may have surprised all of us, it didn’t surprise God. Before the foundation of the earth He knew all about this journey. I want to share some of it with you.

Finding Peace in Troubled Times

Written by Claire Colvin

Whether you have a child serving in the war in Iraq, recently lost a loved one or have no way to pay the mortgage this month, crisis takes many forms. Its impact is felt deeply. We feel helpless, we feel sad, we feel overwhelmed. Some of us are in crisis right now, for others, the images flashing across the TV screen are bringing up painful memories from the past.

Shaky marriages, divorce, death, illness, accidents, terrorist threats, war arouse in us a crisis response. What happens when crisis or trauma impacts people’s lives? How can we prepare and respond to crisis? Marriage and family counsellor Lynette Hoy, stresses the importance of differentiating between a problem and a crisis:

Signs of Postpartum Syndromes

by Michal Finkelstein

Many women are depressed after childbirth; at least 80% suffer in some way! However, there are differences in how individual women respond. This article describes the range of depressive symptoms a woman might feel after childbirth, starting with a description of what are normal, non-depressive feelings. After reading this chapter, a postpartum mother will see where she falls in the spectrum and can recognize that what she may be feeling is common, and that there is help!

Postpartum Depression A Personal Account

by Michal Finkelstein It was as if I were being buried alive, sinking in quicksand, unable to find my way out. That's how I felt after the birth of my sixth child. I was irritable; I cried; I was exhausted, yet had trouble sleeping. Getting through each day seemed nearly impossible. My own children avoided me; my husband tiptoed around me. I was convinced that my family and the world would be better off without me.

What Is Depression? What Causes Depression?

Written by Christian Nordqvist

Feeling sad, or what we may call "depressed", happens to all of us. The sensation usually passes after a while. However, a person with a depressive disorder - clinical depression - finds that his state interferes with his daily life. His normal functioning is undermined to such an extent that both he and those who care about him are affected by it.

According to MediLexicon's Medical Dictionary, depression is "a mental state or chronic mental disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, low self-esteem, and self-reproach; accompanying signs include psychomotor retardation (or less frequently agitation), withdrawal from social contact, and vegetative states such as loss of appetite and insomnia."
What are the different forms of depression?There are several forms of depression (depressive disorders). Major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder are the most common.

What Are The Symptoms Of Depression?

Written by Christian Nordqvist 

Most of us have moments or short periods of sadness when we feel lonely or depressed. These sensations are usually normal ones that sometimes occur in life. They can be the result of a recent loss, having a particularly challenging day or week, or a reaction to a hurtful comment. However, when feelings of sadness and being unable to cope overwhelm the person, so much so that they undermine their ability to live a normal and active life, it is possible that they have what is known as a major depressive disorder (MDD), also called clinical depression, unipolar depression or major depression. Informally, the condition is simply referred to as depression.

Postpartum Depression : What is postpartum depression? Are the "baby blues" the same thing as postpartum depression?

Why do women get postpartum depression?Having a baby can be one of the biggest and happiest events in a woman's life. While life with a new baby can be thrilling and rewarding, it can also be hard and stressful at times. Many physical and emotional changes can happen to a woman when she is pregnant and after she gives birth. These changes can leave new mothers feeling sad, anxious, afraid, or confused. For many women, these feelings (called the baby blues) go away quickly. But when these feelings do not go away or get worse, a woman may have postpartum depression. This is a serious condition that requires quick treatment from a health care provider. 

---

What is postpartum depression? Are the "baby blues" the same thing as postpartum depression?Postpartum depression (PPD) is a condition that describes a range of physical and emotional changes that many mothers can have after having a baby. PPD can be treated with medication and counseling. Talk with your health care provider right away if you think you have PPD.
There are three types of PPD women can have after giving birth:

What does depression feel like?

Young Man Nude by the Seashore by Flandrian Hippolyte

“It was not really alarming at first, since the change was subtle, but I did notice that my surroundings took on a different tone at certain times: the shadows of nightfall seemed more somber, my mornings were less buoyant, walks in the woods became less zestful, and there was a moment during my working hours in the late afternoon when a kind of panic and anxiety overtook me…” – William Styron, Darkness Visible

Sometimes the Depression Self-Screening Tests are just too clinical, and the symptoms don’t really “click” with you. Some of the criteria are general, and if you’re suffering from depression, specifics are easier to understand. I know that I might not have diagnosed myself with depression just on the basis of those symptoms. I had no change in appetite, and no sleep problems (getting out of bed was what was difficult). Below are some un-clinical symptoms.

• Things just seem “off” or “wrong.”
• You don’t feel hopeful or happy about anything in your life.
• You’re crying a lot for no apparent reason, either at nothing, or something that normally would be insignificant.
• You feel like you’re moving (and thinking) in slow motion.
• Getting up in the morning requires a lot of effort.
• Carrying on a normal conversation is a struggle. You can’t seem to express yourself.
• You’re having trouble making simple decisions.
• Your friends and family really irritate you.
• You’re not sure if you still love your spouse/significant other.
• Smiling feels stiff and awkward. It’s like your smiling muscles are frozen.
• It seems like there’s a glass wall between you and the rest of the world.
• You’re forgetful, and it’s very difficult to concentrate on anything.
• You’re anxious and worried a lot.
• Everything seems hopeless.
• You feel like you can’t do anything right.
• You have recurring thoughts of death and/or suicidal impulses. Suicide seems like a welcome relief.
• You have a feeling of impending doom – you think something bad is going to happen, although you may not be sure what, and/or…
• …You have a very specific fear that torments you constantly.
• In your perception of the world around you, it’s always cloudy. Even on sunny days, it seems cloudy and gray.
• You feel as though you’re drowning or suffocating.
• You’re agitated, jumpy and and anxious much of the time.
• Your senses seem dulled; food tastes bland and uninteresting, music doesn’t seem to affect you, you don’t bother smelling flowers anymore.
• Incessantly and uncontrollably into your mind comes the memory of every failure, every bad or uncomfortable experience, interview or date, like a torrent of negativity.

Note: I wrote this a few years ago, and it has made its way around the Net uncredited. If you want to reproduce it in any way, please look at the terms of the Creative Commons license at the bottom of the page.

Also see How Depression May Affect Your Life. Archived comments in response to this article can be found here.

Please feel free to post your comment about what depression feels like. Don’t post:

• Questions about depression and how to handle it.
• Comments on how you think it should be managed, including finding God.
• Requests for other people to email you.
• Your depression “biography”.

Please note that comments are moderated – if you post a comment, it will not show up until it is approved, and this can take a few days. Comments asking for responses will be edited accordingly.

gotquestions   http://www.wingofmadness.com/what-does-depression-feel-like-446

Depression in Children

Is anything so agonizing in divorce as seeing the effect it has on your child? Children react in so many negative ways to divorce, but perhaps the most painful is the depression that children sometimes experience during or after divorce.

• How Common Is It?
• Signs to Watch For
• What Can I Do?
• Other Resources

How Common Is It?

Our best estimates are that about 2.5% of children about about 8% of adolescents suffer from depression. A person who struggles with depression as a child or as a teenager is at substantially higher risk for depression (and other illnesses) as an adult. Depression in children and teenagers often comes side by side with other forms of mental illness, with substance abuse, with anxiety, and/or with diabetes. For obvious reasons, children and adolescents who suffer from depression are at materially higher risk for suicide.

Depression appears to be gender-neutral for children. In adolescents, however, girls are about twice as likely as boys to be affected.

Depression in children does not have a high correlation with a family history of depression. Among adolescents, however, there is a high rate of correlation.

Signs To Watch For

Clinically speaking, the symptoms of depression in children are identical to those for adults. Five or more of the following, persisting for more than two weeks, indicates the presence of "major depression."

• Persistent sad or irritable mood 
• Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed 
• Significant change in weight or appetite
• Difficulty sleeping, or sleeping too much
• Unusual agitation or retardation 
• Loss of energy 
• Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt 
• Difficulty concentrating 
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

More specifically to children, however, parents and other adults often have difficulty spotting the symptoms of depression in children and teenagers. One study showed that parents were actually less effective than the children themselves in recognizing and dealing with depression. Here are some of the signs:

• Physical complaints, such as headache, nausea, or sore muscles
• Recurrent thoughts of running away from home, or actually running away
• Alcohol or substance abuse
• Frequent absences from school
• Poor performance in school
• Frequent outbursts of shouting, crying, or irritability
• Lack of interests in friends
• Reckless behavior
• Difficulty with relationships
• Fear of death, or fascination with death
• Social isolation

Please understand that I raised two children, and I know how much the list above looks like a list of what every teenager goes through. Obviously, then, it's easy to see why parents and other adults often miss the presence of depression

What Can I Do?

It's interesting that we know so much about the incidence and diagnosis of depression in children and so little about how to treat it. As with adults, most treatment involves a combination of medication and therapy, although with children, the use of psychoactive drugs is more controversial than with adults.

Ask about Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), which has been helpful to some children and teenagers. The idea of CBT is that children and adolescents with depression often have a distorted view of themselves and of the world around them. CBT focuses on identifying and correcting those distortions.

When it comes to medication, there's every reason to use a psychiatrist who specializes in treating children. That's because we are gathering new information every day about which medications are most effective with selective populations. Ask about Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's), which have been shown to be effective in treating depression in children and adolescents.

The most important thing you can do is to stay thoroughly informed about your child's interests, habits, activities, and performance. Please know that your first reaction when confronted with the signs of depression will be to attribute them to something else. This is one of those areas where your judgment will be clouded, however. If you have any inkling that your child is struggling with depression, ask to visit with his or her guidance counselor, or make an appointment with a qualified mental health professional who can help you think through a thorough diagnosis and a review of your options.

Other Resources

You can (and probably should) start with Deborah Deren's excellent introduction to depression in children on her Wings of Madness site.

http://www.divorceinfo.com/depressioninchildren.htm 

The Tale of Two Gardens

Let's go for a walk in the garden. The serenity of a garden is a good place to get in touch with your thoughts - where you've been and where you are going. And if you are listening, the garden itself may have something to tell you. For if the truth is known, all of life can be told in a tale of two gardens...http://www.awordfromtheword.org/productpix/taleoftwogardens.gif

The Garden of Eden
A well-kept garden is full of spectacular wonders as the shades of green foliage encompass the splashes of color. Yet in the garden of God, there was an exalted splendor above anything we have ever known. The Bible called it Eden and described it as a paradise of sensory pleasure where divine perfection reached out and touched human awe.
"No evil thoughts can enter here," you would say. A perfect environment is the ultimate answer for our human woes. Yet, that is where our pain and trouble began. In glorious Eden, man chose himself over God and plunged the perfect creation into a chaotic pattern of sin and death. The Bible says that every evil and all sadness can be traced to the rebellion of the human heart against God in that garden.
As you think about where you have been, you would do well to listen to the tale of Eden. You, like the rest of us, are the product of that rebellion and subsequent eternal alienation from God. You are a son or daughter of Adam, part of a depraved race that lost its innocence in the first garden. The record of Eden is the story of paradise lost. Your paradise lost.

The Garden of Gethsemane
It was dark as twelve men crossed the brook in the early hours of the morning. Shimmers of light from the not too distant city cast ominous shadows through the garden of gnarled olive leaves. Gethsemane was what they called the olive press so prominently exposed in the heart of the grove. Eleven men lay down to rest. One lone figure knelt to pray. It was a night for evil and the drama of our hope was beginning to unfold in the colorless recesses of the garden - the Garden of Gethsemane.
There was nothing spectacular about this garden. Only the symbolism of olives crushed and oils flowing captures our attention. Yet it was there that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, resisted temptation to rebel against the will of God and submitted himself to be sacrificed for our sins. What Adam had refused to do in the first garden, Jesus agreed to do in this garden - He obeyed. Only hours later, Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world.

There is a Choice
The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the "last Adam." What the first Adam lost in the Garden of Eden, the last Adam regained in the Garden of Gethsemane. Now there is a choice. For all who are lost in Adam, there is the hope of being saved in Christ. It is simply a matter of repenting of your sin and placing your faith in Jesus Christ as the One who paid the penalty for your guilt.
After thinking about where you have been, perhaps you would like to think where you are going. Listen to the Garden of Gethsemane. You can go to God's heaven with your sins forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior. Paradise lost can be paradise regained - for you. That is the tale of two gardens. ■

Dr. Dan Hayden
awordfromtheword.org