Hope for Depression

Has depression ever showed up without warning?  Circumstance did not invite this visitor, life is no different than yesterday, but you are.Your step slows and your smile struggles. The world is covered with a haze. Colors are muted, sounds are flat, and smells disappear.Nothing happened, no disaster or disappointment.  Yet, your soul feels lost within itself. Your outlook is bleak and hollow.Once, I  shared this struggle with a Christian who judged me, and then blamed my depression on me. It must be an unconfessed sin in my life, an ungodly attitude, an ungrateful heart. After all, am I not blessed beyond measure by God? What's my problem? I hope that has never happened to you. Like we need someone else to make us feel more inadequate. Now, I'm not happy enough? Thanks!I don't have all the answers, and I'm certainly not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I think our imperfect minds and hearts are just susceptible to sadness. Unexplained, unprovoked sadness. I'm not talking about clinical depression, or even those hard, discouraging days that come along with bad circumstances. Just an out-of-the-blue melancholy day.Sure, if we find ourselves in the midst of the blues, we should be very self-aware and find out what's going on. Is it hormones? Is there something swirling around in my soul that needs to be dealt with today? Am I low on vitamin D or B? (worth getting checked ladies!)But if the answer to all of those is "no", then find your way to the Psalms and hang out with David for a while. He gets it.Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.  -Psalm 43:5So many times David had to look into his soul and then look to God for help. There are days when joy eludes us. When it does we can use that quiet, pensive time to be still before the Lord and listen for His quiet voice. We can rest in Him and  know that he's okay with our sadness. We can put our hope in him. He will deliver us from this into joy once more. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.  - Psalm 25:16-17The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. - Psalm 34:17-18