I have a strong relationship with depression. There are days and weeks when I can feel as if the weight of the world is crushing me. These are isolating times when I can feel as if I am all alone and misunderstood, and yet I have learned that I am not alone in my feelings of helplessness or depression. According to the World Health Organization, about 280 million people worldwide live with the realities of depression. Looking at the news, it can be easy to see why there is an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness in our world today.
In this week’s Gospel* we are reminded that the God who loves us unconditionally abides with us and we with God. To abide is to dwell, remain, or be present. Our text reminds us that God is ever-present in the messiness of our lives. In moments of suffering and sorrow, God abides. In moments of depression and defeat, God abides. God abides with us, holding us in God’s loving arms.
In the moments of our lives where we turn to God searching for answers, God comes to us in the form of God’s presence, reminding us that we are not alone. We have a God who understands suffering to the point of death on a cross. In God, we do not suffer alone. God meets us where we are in this life and fully, deeply, and divinely understands us.
--Lindsay Fertig-Johnson, The Festival Center
For More
Read “a blessing for when things don’t make any sense” by Kate Bowler.
