Did you know?

The great thing about having your own blog is that it is like your personal soap box for whenever you feel like you have something you need to say.

And it just so happens that today I feel like I do.

One thing that has been on my mind a lot lately is just the emotional state in America.  Did you know that according to statistics taken in 2005, 30% of women are clinically diagnosed with depression, and 15% of men? Did you know that it is estimated that the true number of people suffering from depression is much higher, but many have never been diagnosed? And depression in children has increased by an astounding 25%. Seriously? Children?

The most developed countries have the highest rates of depression. What are these numbers telling us?
We are a people that are both too full and completely empty.

Our society is fast paced and we want what we want when we want it. There is always a pressure to attain more, surpass someone else's accomplishments. If we don't look a certain way, or drive a special car etc. the media tells us that we are incomplete.  And for most of us, there is an emptiness resounding inside that agrees, "I am not whole".

Now, if you are someone who is placing their contentment at some point in the future, (I'll be happy when...) let me tell you that you will never find it there. There are a lot of things out there that are saying, "Once you have me, you will have arrived. You will finally be happy."
Did you know that the highest suicide rates occur in the richest 1% of the population?

If you have drank from all of these wells then why are you still thirsty?

Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”  John 4:13-15

The Samaritan woman at the well did not understand what Jesus was offering her. Because we are largely physical beings, we seek to address our physical needs first. But if all of your physical needs have been met and you are still unhappy, then perhaps what you need isn't a new iphone, or a better job, or any number of other trivial things in this life that amuse us for a while, but are in the end, a novelty.  


Maybe you need Jesus.  


And if you already have accepted Jesus as your Savior, then maybe you need to let him be your Lord as well. See, those are two different things. When someone gets saved or baptized, they may pray or declare, "I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior."  Everybody wants to be saved, but not everybody wants a Lord.  Isn't that why we usually only talk to God in our most desperate hours? "God, please help me! If You bail me out of this one, I promise I'll..."


Rick Warren wrote in his book 40 Days of Purpose "The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the alter."  That's what our lives are supposed to be. A living sacrifice. We live to do the will of our Creator. But the things God requires are not usually easy or fun or safe.  That's why we try to worm our way out of it. 


I literally woke up one morning with this strong feeling on my heart, it felt like God saying, "Lindsey, remember that Uniform Project you read about a few years ago? I want you to do that. I want you to wear the same black dress for a year to raise money for orphanages."


I was astounded and, I'll admit it, more than a little reluctant. My initial response was something like, "Really, God? This is very specific. And very...odd."  As I prayed I could almost hear Him saying with a smile, "All of my best ideas are."
Now the funny thing about obeying the will of God is that, even if it sounds crazy, if you let Jesus have his way with things, you usually end up happier than you would have thought possible. There is a peace and a joy that happens when you stop trying to be your own god. 


Paul wrote in Philippians 4, "¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

I would bet money on Paul having led a harder life than most of us. (Ship wrecks, beatings, imprisonment). But he got it. Read those verses again. That's not the kind of assurance you can get from looking like a super model or making six figures a year or any of that stuff. That's  not even the kind of assurance you can get from having a loving spouse or family.  That is the assurance of God's perfect love. 
I couldn't be happier that I accepted my Lord's offer to let me be a part of His plan in this unique way. There have been times where I knew what God was asking me to do, and I refused. Refusal has always led to regret. 


So if you're anxious or depressed, here is your Answer. I am not trying to downplay the importance of doctors and medication for those who need it. I myself have been taking anti-depressants for the past few years. It helps a lot with the physical side effects, and regulates mood swings and such. But if you want a magic bullet, this isn't it. Medicine can be helpful, but it will only take you so far. I can tell you for a fact that if I wanted to be anxious or depressed, I still could be. Mostly, it is a choice, a conscious decision that has to be made every hour of every day to trust in the Lord. And for me, this has made all the difference.


-Lindsey