If I could tell one person who is searching the internet about depression, I would tell them this simple truth — Depression lies.
Eleni Pinnow recently wrote an unusual arbitrary for her sister. She told the truth.
In it, she said,
Depression lied to my sister, told her that she was worthless. A burden. Unlovable. Undeserving of life. I imagine these lies were like a kind of permanent white noise in her life — a running narration of how unworthy she was. After years of the lies and the torment, my sister believed that depression told her the truth. In the notes she left for my parents and me, Aletha wrote, “don’t feel sad, I’m not worth it.”
She was so wrong. Depression lies. I have to tell the truth.
I don’t know Eleni, but her blog post hits home for me because I said some of the same stuff to myself when I was at my worst.
I once told a mental healthcare professional, “You don’t have to worry about me killing myself. I am not strong enough to do it. I cannot even do that right.”
At the time, I meant what I said but that really isn’t the truth, is it?
But depression (the chemical reaction happening inside body and brain) can cover up the real truth and rob you from yourself and the people who love you.
Of course the provider reassured me I was strong because I asked for help, but in the moment it is hard to see yourself as others see you.
Fellow traveler, if you are contemplating suicide, please know you will not always feel this way. These horrible feelings will pass!
If you are a depressed person or someone who loves a depressed person, I pray you allow the King of all kings to lift your head upwards until you understand with your heart how beautiful our Creator sees you. You are made in God’s image! And, He called all of His creation good. He called YOU good, friend! I pray the peace of Christ settles in your soul and you start to see the light at the end of this temporary dark tunnel in your life. I pray you and your loved ones will heal from this pain, and each of you will experience the joy of Christ for the rest of your natural lives. I pray the Holy Spirit places a healer in your life that can lead you to a relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit. You are beautiful! You are loved! In Jesus’s Holy name, amen!
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I am a professional writer, retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant and former military journalist. I am extremely proud of my twenty years serving this beautiful country of ours.
I now live in Delaware with my husband of five years and counting. I am also a step-mom, grandmother, puppy mother and colored pencil artist in my free time.
And, this year my goal is to add fitness enthusiast and published author (many times over) to that list.
I created this blog site to interact with other fellow travelers/bloggers, who I hope will come alongside me on life’s journey of hills and valleys, failures and triumphs.
My book is tentatively titled “Set My Captives Free: How One PTSD Overcomer Healed Herself through Love, Therapy and the Bible”.
This blog has a dual purpose. It is dedicated to sharing my writing progress on the book and putting my own experiences out there in cyberland in the hope that other people will also share their journey with me.
Check out my other blog sites
Another huge part of my life is creating art, so I love to write about the colored pencil artists that I follow on social media and the techniques they use to create beautiful masterpieces. You can check out my colored pencil blog at http://coloredpencilenthusiast.wordpress.com/. You can also check out my latest feature and news articles at http://melissalegates.wordpress.com.
I love to write about Christianity and the church. I’m also interested in a mind, body and soul approach to health and any other subject that catches my fancy at the moment.
If you would like to contact me, please e-mail me at malegates@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!
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SET MY CAPTIVES FREE 