This is a true story. The name has been changed, but the circumstances have not. I have “Jean’s” permission to share her story.
In 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 we read Paul’s journey from depression to recovery.
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. – Apostle Paul
Sentence of Death
Things were going so bad for Paul and his team that he had judged the situation by placing a death sentence on himself and the team. This is not an unusual occurrence for people who feel pressed beyond their strength to overcome. When things get so bad, in certain situations, death seems like a viable option for some. To continue in life, muddling along from desert to desert is exhausting, hopeless and has an inevitable end, so they think. This is the judgment of death that we can place on ourselves and Paul was such a person who felt the full force of this judgement.
Jean has also been pressed beyond measure, to the point where she is despairing of her life. The challenge of dying seems easier than the challenge of living. Her position is not as hopeless as she feels, but the counselor will have to remind himself that it is her perceived position nevertheless, and it is very real to her regardless of his more objective assessment of the situation. Therefore, counseling her from her illogical and unwise position will be very hard and will take much patience.
For example, the obvious counsel for a depressed person is to go take a walk, enjoy the sunshine, stop watching so much TV and engage the culture around her. The problem with this kind of counsel is that it is impossible for a person with a self-proclaimed death sentence.
Paul said, “We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.” To be utterly burdened beyond [your] strength means you are beyond your ability to do anything about it. Therefore, taking a walk in the park or reading a book is nearly impossible.
Anti-Self-Reliance
Paul understood what was happening to him. He said that the things that were happening to him were to make [him] rely not on [himself] but on God who raises the dead. Paul got it. He probably didn’t like it, but he got it. Paul was a doer, a get-it-done kind of guy, but he felt himself sinking beyond his ability to help himself.
The problem with this kind of get it done, self-sufficient, do it my way worldview is that if you persist in it, you’ll end up trusting and glorying in yourself rather than God. This can never be.
Therefore God, in his kindness to us, brings us to a place where there are no other options for us, but to trust in someone who is outside of ourselves. And though the psychology of what is going on is easy to understand, it is one of the more challenging situations to walk a person through.
Reliance in the Gospel
Almost all counsel seems too small, too trite, too wrong and generally inadequate. And to say that Jean’s problem is a lack of reliance on the Gospel sounds more appropriate for a bumper sticker on a car than a solution in the counselor’s office. Nevertheless, it is the solution that Jean needs to hear more than anything else.
Paul got it. He said the reason the things were happening to him and his team was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. Paul found the solution for his despair in the Gospel. He knew, as noted in Romans 1:16, that the Gospel was the “power of God.” And in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Paul further unpacked his theology of suffering even more, where he said that his weakness was God’s kindness to him that allowed God’s strength to be made perfect.
The Gospel is the person and work of Christ that is working effectively in the life of a person to give him something that transcends the circumstances of his life. The Gospel, in this case study with Paul, encouraged him by telling him that if God can raise his Son from the grave then he is completely trustworthy and powerful enough to not only teach him to stop relying on himself, but to rely on Him who has incredible power, as demonstrated through the resurrection of the Savior from the grave.
Perfect love does cast out fear and the greatest witness to perfect love is the Gospel. (See 1 John 4:18 & John 3:16)
Conclusion
Jean would rather hear more about 7 Habits for Overcoming Depression, though she knows intuitively that whatever you ask her to do from a practical perspective, she probably wouldn’t be able to do anyway. But to tell her to trust God is even worse than trying to motivate her to practical achievements. The Gospel will fall flat for Jean. She will tell you that she can’t do the practical things you ask and that to apply the Gospel to her life makes little sense to her. Nevertheless, the counselor must stand firm and not be ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God.
He will have to be incredibly patient. Her self-focused and problem-centered mindset will seem unmovable to the counselor and any attempts to move her will be met with resistance. But he must be determined to graciously and compassionately lead her to a clearer understanding and appreciation for the Gospel while practically helping her see it in ways that were not clear to her before.
Truly, the Gospel is a stumbling block to the Jew and foolishness to the Greek and, in the beginning, Jean will not get it either. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.
Articles in this series
Related Articles on the Dangers of Self-Esteem
- Loving Me: The Hidden Agenda of Self-Esteem, 1.0
- To Lower Your Self-Esteem is Good, 2.0
- Self-Esteem & the Tale of Ugly Betty, 3.0
- The End of the Road for High Self-Esteem is Suicide, 4.0
- Case Study: Sally’s Search for Self-Esteem, 5.0
- Did J. B. & Paul Struggle with Self-Worth, 6.0
Related Articles on Big Sinners vs. Little Sinners
- Problem: Big Sinners vs. Little Sinners – 1.0
- Churches with Big Sinners & Little Sinners – 2.0
- Adult Sinners with Big Problems – 3.0
- Acknowledged Sinners with Inexpressible Gratitude – 4.0
- Big Sinners, Little Sinners & the Worst Sinners – 5.0
Checkout some of our training videos on our YouTube Channel
