My psychiatrist tried to explain to me that joy and depression aren't opposites - you can have both. That blew my mind. I thought if I was really joyful, I wouldn't be depressed. So I've been faking happy for years while actually being pretty low.
But maybe Paul's not claiming that depression goes away. Maybe rejoice evermore means: even in the sadness, even in the anxiety, even in the difficulty - there's still something to be glad about. God is still God. I'm still loved. There are still good things mixed in with the hard things.
I'm learning to practice that. On my bad days, I'm not pretending everything is fine. But I'm also not pretending the good is gone. Both are true. That's been more helpful than trying to be purely happy ever was.
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