“Don’t Go There”    

            In Psalm 143:7 the King David says, “Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens.  Don’t turn away from me or I will die.”   Do you ever feel that deepening black-hole of depression that wants to consume you?  Or do you sense you’ve been orphaned in this cold cruel world where no one would know if you lived or died?  It’s like the chicken and egg thing; sometimes it’s hard to tell which come first the depression or the loneliness.   They go together and often by improving one the other get better. 

            King David’s son Solomon who succeeded him was rich beyond compare, but writes in Ecclesiastes 4:8: “This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can.  But then he asks himself, ‘Who am I working for?  Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?  It is all so meaningless and depressing.”  

            Haven’t you ever felt that way?  I have.  Isn’t it interesting that Solomon’s father King David wrote in Psalm 68:6: “God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.”  See the links of depression and loneliness; relationships and joy?

            Getting connected can be easier than you think.   Join a prayer group, church choir, book club, bowling league, or health club.  Get a pet, take a class, and find someone to take to a sporting event or movie.   Is there a service you could offer as a volunteer?   Take an old friend a gift and update the friendship.   If you’re shy hook up with someone more gregarious who can help you become well-connected. 

             Conquer loneliness and depression, choose not to t go there. “The most obvious lesson in Christ’s teaching is that there is no happiness in having or getting anything, but only in giving.”  Henry Drummond.