Monkey Business

"Poor little guy" I said to my husband on a recent visit to the zoo. Looks like he could use a Prozac fortified banana milkshake. If that doesn't work a second helping complete with Abilify. 

I'd never seen such a dejected animal in all my life. All of his friends and relatives were monkeying around--but not him. He could have been the "poster monkey" for depression.

Come on, unless you have Tivo and never catch a commercial, or have thrown your set out of the window you must have seen that coming. Surely you realize we're talking "anti-depressants." We've all seen enough advertisements about them to choke an elephant.

$122 million buys a lot of air time these days. Apparantly the money has been well spent as an estimated 27 million Americans, or 10% of the population, are currently taking medication for depression.

I don't mean to throw a wrench in all this "monkey business" but doesn't that sound a little excessive? Oh, and just for the record, I'm not judging those who are currently under a doctor's care or taking anti-depressants. I've taken a few in my time. Who can say what the future might bring.

It just seems to me that Americans want an "instant cure" for everything. They typically don't want to feel emotions that aren't within the range of euphoria to blissful joy. After all whose got time to deal with feelings that are anything short of pleasant? Seems it's become easier to fill out a twelve point checklist and sign up for a subscription prescription of "happy pills."

The only problem is that unless you are clinically depressed or have other physically conditions, for which they might be helpful, you' re better off eating bananas. They'll have far more better nutritional value not to mention the fact that they taste much better, too.

So what do we do about depression which Webster defines as feeling:  "gloomy, dejected, sad, discouraged, despondent, or having feeling of inadequacy." I'm guessing you're already familiar with those words because none of us are immune from these feelings. Great men of the Bible like Moses, Elijah, David, Job, Paul & even JESUS experienced what could be described as depression.

I'm not speaking of the clinical type but of the kind that temporarily makes the lights grow dim and the shadows appear suddenly larger.

It can hit you just about any time or place: at work, during a sporting event, at home, during a family gathering, walking the corridors of a hospital, talking on the phone, during bill paying, on the internet & while in church. Let's face it the circus comes and goes but life remains--a zoo!

Thankfully we've got help for those down days. During those times when we feel discouraged, sad, unproductive and downright hopeless we can always find light by looking at the truth of God's Word. It has the power to dispel the darkness when we embrace it's truth. I just wonder if we have as much knowledge about His Word as we do about pharmaceuticals.

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6

No matter what is going on in your life you have reasons to be hopeful. You are not caged in by your circumstances even though the enemy of your soul has been whispering lies in your ear.

Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:31-32, 36

"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." Galatians 5:13

You have a Deliverer standing by to rescue you.

"For He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in His sight." Psalm 72:12-14

"I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4

"Because He loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for He acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him." Psalm 91:14-15

What you are going through is always on His mind. You are never forgotten. You're even inscribed in the palms of His hands.

"Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me." Isaiah 49: 15-16

And guess what? He's got a wonderful plan for your life that includes HOPE.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

He'll give you hope when you need it.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

He'll provide you with comfort and care during all of your troubles so that later, when you see another person struggling, you can share His comfort with them.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." II Corinthians 1:3-4

Make no mistake about it, the God we serve, does not monkey around when it comes to His children. He's intimately involved in every detail of our life. He's acquainted with "life in the zoo" because He came and walked this earth.

It was not always a picnic for Him, either. Especially not when people acted like a bunch of monkeys and hung Him on a tree. Yet He did it because He loves us. On the good days, on the bad days, and all the others in between.

"Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep." No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. 

Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39 NLT

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 NLT 

The Bible has more promises than a "barrel of monkeys" to help you when you're feeling down. You know, during those times when despite trying to tame life things seems to be going the other way around. On those days when you find yourself relating to my little monkey friend. I know I have days like that every now and then.

Some times they come in bunches just like bananas.

When dealing with depression please take any medications the doctor might perscribe for you but don't forget about the healing power of God's Word. His truths--well lets just say that they'll have you on the upswing in no time at all if you'll grab hold of them.

God's Word is the most effective relief for depression I've ever found and that, my friend, is not "monkey business."