Devin Strong, Spirit of Peace Lutheran

It was 20 years ago. I had just left a growing congregation in suburban Detroit to start a new congregation in Braselton, GA, northeast of Atlanta. People that I respected told me that starting a church from scratch was going to be very hard work, especially for a guy who does life from a wheelchair. But I was used to defying people’s expectations, so I ignored them.

 I was excited for a new adventure! In the Lutheran Church, the model for starting new churches involved knocking on thousands of doors, developing excitement for a new church, starting a Bible study with interested individuals, and seeing if that group could be grown into a congregation. In very short order, I found out not only that rolling around hot, hilly, Atlanta neighborhoods was exhausting, but that small talk on people’s porches was not my best gift. Within a few months, I felt like a complete failure. I went into the deepest depression that I have ever known and required short-term professional help to dig my way out.

All of us get discouraged, and according to 2024 data, 18.3% of us report experiencing a major depressive episode at some point in our lives. Young people, ages 1825, report being depressed more often than older adults. Women experience more depression than men, and people with lower incomes, especially those earning less than $24,000 a year, suffer more depression than those with higher incomes. Further, all this data is based on self-reporting, so the numbers may be even higher.

We rarely talk openly about depression, and perhaps least so in Christian circles. No one wants to admit the “weakness” of needing help, and Christians may carry added guilt. How can anyone who knows that Jesus loves them get depressed? Well, we do, and some of us even lead congregations! I write today to encourage all of us to be fully honest with the people who love us and to share a few brief thoughts that have helped me over the years.

For starters, I try to remember that whatever the circumstances that I am depressed about, they are temporary! If there’s one thing that we know, it’s that life changes. I don’t want to make any permanent changes just to avoid temporary pain. Most of the time, things do get better.

When I am discouraged, I force myself to make a list of things that I am grateful for--even the smallest things, like a good breakfast, sunshine, or a short nap. Such gratitude does not deny that in the moment, my larger circumstances may stink, but rehearsing a list of positive things makes it harder for me to stay depressed.

When I am down, I work mightily to complete some small task--for someone else, if possible. The sense of fulfillment from completed work always surprises me, and when I can help someone else, even when I am not feeling great, it gets me out of my own head and focusing on the larger world.

Finally, when I am a little blue or worse, I need to be with people. Left to my own devices, I will isolate and tell myself how lousy I am, but when I am with friends, I am much more likely to experience joy and the love of God.

Depression is real. Let’s not deny it or hide it, but let’s also not let it defeat us!