JOB SUFFERED FROM DEPRESSION! After reading different posts for the last two months I am astonished
as to how many of us both out and in the ICC suffer from depression. The incidence of depression is much higher than the norm. Maybe a doctor among us can confirm this. The question is why is this so? I will bravely attempt to answer this question with a little help from Job. I remember some years ago riding in Richard Alawayes’ car (evangelist, Nairobi Christian Church 1995). As we looked for a parking in town he remarked, ‘ I even pray for a parking space’. Basically Richard (who discipled me then, and never will again) said he prayed about all things even as mundane as a parking space. Bear with me but I will demonstrate how destructive praying for a parking space can be. Its good to pray about all things but we need wisdom to know what to pray for and what not to. Lets imaging you pray for a parking. After ten minutes nothing. Twenty, nothing, thirty still nothing. Finally after an hour and ten minutes you get a parking. Okay. Did God answer your prayer or not? What if you had an appointment twenty minutes from the time you began looking? Was you prayer answered or not? What about those who do not pray. Do they still get parkings? Yes they do. Some may even get one quicker than you who prayed! So whats the deal? Now extend this thinking to your everyday life. If you can pray for a parking, what is there you cannot pray for? How can you tell whether your prayers are answered or not. It’s not really possible is it? That inability to know 100% and the fact that in the ICC were taught that we should, is what leads so many of us to depression. It’s the uncertainty. This combined with the fact that many of us gave our lives over to discipling partners (who we relied on to tell us whether we were right or wrong in many matters) exacerbated this uncertainty even further. When finally we could no longer bear the uncertainty of where we really stood with God and the conflict in our minds between what our consciences were telling us and what we saw going on, we made a decision to quit, with all the attendant consequences. Many of us went on to review our lives over and over in an attempt to clarify our position with God. Because we get no answer, depression sets in and it’s off to the doctor we go! (someone in a recent post called ICC, the ‘Prozac Church of Christ’) So how do we get an answer. The truth is we DON’T! What we have to do is simply believe what we have understood to be right and keep a clear conscience. Even that though, does not guarantee that we are innocent. (1 Cor 4 v 4). Onto Job: Sorry this is a bit long winded, but this is a forum for speaking and healing right? Everything was going right for him. He even made sacrifices for his kids who sinned. (Job 1 v5). After everything went haywire, Job did not sin by ‘charging God with wrongdoing’(1 v 22). Did poor Job know why all this happened . NO. Whats satans plan for us. To get us to believe that God is unfair. (why does god allow kip and co to continue doing what they are to peoples lives). In Job 2 v 9 his wife was already convinced that God was being unfair. It was too much for her. ‘Curse God and die’ she says. Think about that she is now ready to CURSE GOD! Such is her frustration. Why, because it doesn’t make sense and she cannot get an answer from God. Chapter 2 v 3, God makes it clear that Satan has incited him against job for NO REASON. Ha. What if satan has incited God against you, me, us for no reason? Will we get an answer? Did Job get an answer? Will we get a reason? Did Job get a reason? Finally Job begins to crack and displays the classic symptoms of depression. He is suicidal and believes life is pointless. He feels that he would be better of dead. (3 v 20-26) He felt that God was probing him, looking for even the smallest mistake (sound familiar)? Read the whole book with this in mind and see how closely it resembles your life. My point is, maybe the ICC taught us too good and taught us to look for things (answers) that we were never going to get (is perfect being exactly who I am supposed to be faults and all or being absolutely righteous and pure. I’ll take the first definition.). Solomon (who incidentally I relate to very well, not the riches or the wisdom or women for that matter, but his take life as it comes attitude, Ecc Chp 3) says, Chp 7 v 15-18, don’t over do anything! (Solomon had his fair share of disorders too. I don’t know the ‘politically’ correct way to say this but, he could have been a sex maniac. Seven hundred concubines)?