Depression is the Absence of Thankfulness (TMF:475)

Monday, November 21, 2016
Peace to Live By: Depression is the Absence of Thankfulness (TMF:475) - Daniel Litton
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       Now that we understand the Christian’s joy a bit better, I want to shift gears here a bit and talk about being thankful in our circumstances. Let us note that depression is the absence of thankfulness. Really, depression all stems to one’s perspective on life. If you are happy, it is because you are looking at the world in a certain way—in a grateful way. If you are depressed, it is because you are looking at the world through a negative, ungrateful, mindset. This is so very basic. And external factors do not always dictate one’s feelings. For instance, a person can be married and very happy, all the while a person can be married and very depressed. A person can be in prison and be very sad, and a person can be in prison and be perfectly happy. In other words, our external situational circumstances do not necessarily dictate our internal feelings. Now, this is not to say that people don’t let their circumstances dictate their feelings. All of us do this to an extent, but we do not have to let them. The Apostle Paul told us, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV). What this means is that no matter what happens in our lives, we always have things to be thankful for. This verse is not saying necessarily that we should thank God for bad things that come into our lives.