Dear Sir,<\/p>\n
I recently suffered a blow-specifically, the affliction of physical illness-and I have been feeling sorrowful and distressed.<\/p>\n
When I am at church among my fellow Christian brothers and sisters, I regain my strength and feel filled with hope. Yet, when I return home and face my current situation, I see no hope; I feel like a candle that has burned down almost to the end, on the verge of going out. I do not know what to do, though I have poured out the sorrow and pain in my heart to God.<\/p>\n
Just yesterday, a pastor was called home to the Lord. Hearing this news made me sad, though I know that because he labored for God, a great reward awaits him in the Kingdom of Heaven. My sadness stems from the realization that if God were to call me<\/strong> home, I am not yet ready; I have not yet done any work for the Lord. I simply feel a deep sense of sorrow. Life feels empty; everything is vanity.<\/p>\n Furthermore, God has said that worry and fear are sins, yet I am so weak that I have committed both. I fear illness and worry about the future. \ud83d\ude14 Could you share some words from God and offer some spiritual insight? I am seeking your help.<\/p>\n May God bless you.<\/p>\n\t “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you<\/em>” (Philippians 4:6-9).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n When depression strikes, it is often difficult to break out of the cycle of negative thinking. Paul mentions several things that can counter anxiety and depression:<\/p>\n You have the support of your brethren (Roman 12:10, 15), but more importantly, God is present to hear and answer your concerns. “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken<\/em>” (Psalms 55:22).<\/p>\n Be thankful for what you do have. This gives you a more balanced view of life. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful<\/strong>. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness<\/strong> in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks<\/strong> through Him to God the Father<\/em>” (Colossians 3:15-17).<\/p>\n This is more difficult when your mind is stuck in a rut. It keeps returning to what it is used to doing. Find positive things to read. Find the benefits, even in hardships. For example, you mentioned a preacher who recently died. Realize that he is now with God. If he was ill, he is no longer suffering in this world. He is not alone; he is with those who have gone on before him. Certainly, he will be missed, but one day we too will cross to the other side.<\/p>\n Put the gospel into action. Do good to people around you, even if you might think of it as a small thing. When you focus on the needs of others, you have little time to focus on your feelings. Send cards. Volunteer to do things for other people. Spend time visiting others. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven<\/em>” (Matthew 5:16).<\/p>\n Question: Dear Sir, I recently suffered a blow-specifically, the affliction of physical illness-and I have been feeling sorrowful and distressed. When I am at church among my fellow Christian brothers and sisters, I regain my strength and feel filled with hope. Yet, when I return home and face my current situation, I see no hope;…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[397],"class_list":["post-97277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-depression"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14560,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/thank-you-so-much-for-your-article-on-envy\/","url_meta":{"origin":97277,"position":0},"title":"Thank you so much for your article on envy","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 30, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I just wanted to thank you so much for your article on\u00a0'envy'. I really didn't realize there was any hope until I read this. Envy has literally swallowed me whole even though I've been saved for almost eight years. Your article or lesson really inspired me a lot and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38598,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/im-worried-that-i-wasnt-baptized-properly\/","url_meta":{"origin":97277,"position":1},"title":"I’m worried that I wasn’t baptized properly","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 13, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hey, I've been reading your articles about baptism and asked my Christian parents to baptize me. They were very kind and asked me if I believed in Jesus. I did everything right, except I'm very worried I was not under the water properly. 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I am off work today due to being very sick with a cold and started to research why some books were left out of the Bible when I came across your website, and I find I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46819,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/ive-tried-to-quit-drugs-but-i-keep-going-back\/","url_meta":{"origin":97277,"position":3},"title":"I’ve tried to quit drugs, but I keep going back","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Well, to start out with I have been hooked on a certain drug since my youth. I've tried quitting many times. Sometimes I will go a while without, and sometimes not that long. But it seems no matter how long I go without, I feel miserable and go through\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20643,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-i-reach-heaven-with-all-this-negativity-in-my-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":97277,"position":4},"title":"Can I reach heaven with all this negativity in my life?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 25, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a Christian and have been for some time now. My problem is I have trouble letting go of my guilt because of past sins. I feel extremely depressed and in deep remorse for past sins. I know that God forgives me if I repent, confess, and ask\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40657,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/ive-been-so-lonely-that-ive-gotten-involved-in-pornography-how-do-i-get-back-on-track\/","url_meta":{"origin":97277,"position":5},"title":"I’ve been so lonely that I’ve gotten involved in pornography. How do I get back on track?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 12, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Thank you for your web site. I feel quite happy to read such great answers and feel inspired to follow Jesus Christ in the right way. For the past few months, I have been feeling very lonely and depressed despite being surrounded by wonderful friends. I have started to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97277"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97281,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97277\/revisions\/97281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Answer:<\/h2>\n
Realize that You Aren’t Facing Life Alone<\/h3>\n
Count Your Blessings<\/h3>\n
Think About Positive Things<\/h3>\n
Practice Positive Things<\/h3>\n
See Also:<\/h3>\n
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