Pain of Guilt

My writer friend reminded me in her comment that one of the challenges of depression is well meaning people adding guilt to an already burdened soul.  

Laurel wrote: “It is daunting to realize I've spent my whole life in depression. Now, add guilt because surely being Christian means I should be happy, shouldn't it? Being Christian has kept me from giving up completely. Being Christian gives me hope enough to struggle through another day.”

I enjoy Calvin and Hobbes and this quote came to mind when I was thinking about this subject.  
"There's no problem so awful that you can't add some guilt to it and make it even worse!"
-Calvin

There is a type of sorrow that comes when a person recognizes that they have sinned and need to repent but not all sorrow comes from this source.  

I decided to turn to the scriptures to see what is written there.  
The first person that comes to mind is Job and his struggles.  He is not a wicked man but one bad thing after another happens to him.  He is accused by his friends of wickedness that surely these things happened because of Job’s wrong doing.  Job writes for several chapters in the Old Testament of his feelings of despair.  He reviews all the negative things that happened to him then in 
Job 19:25, 26:
25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Job is a man that understands deep depression and despair.  He acknowledges that his circumstances are not caused by his own wrong doing.  Yet his faith is not destroyed.  It his faith that gives him strength.  My view is that his faith is not dependent on what good or bad happens to him.  He knows that his Redeemer liveth and this is his testimony and strength.  

I remember a time before my counseling started that someone pointed out to me that I had a good life.  I had a husband and 6 beautiful children, I had a great start in life (this was before I remembered), I had a comfortable home and food on the table.  In essence, I was asked as to what right did I have to feel depressed?  Guilt was heaped on top of my depression.  I only knew, at that time, that the night was dark and haunted with sorrow.  I felt deep compassion for Job and admired his steadfastness in his testimony that his Redeemer lived.  

In Luke 4:16-21 Christ shares his calling as He reads in the synagogue:
16 ¶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
   
To me, depression is the same as brokenhearted.  I felt depression so deeply it effected my sleep (lack of), my energy levels (energy of a slug), my soul for it was dark and sorrowing with no apparent cause.  Depression dogged my footsteps.  Yet through all this, I believed, and continue to believe, that “my Redeemer liveth.”  He has comforted me and brought me to a counselor that has the skills and knowledge I need to learn to thrive.  Through out the scriptures there are references of being comforted and healed through my Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  I believe this.  My faith in Christ helped me survive my darkest moments.