by Roger Alcaraz

In my last article, I introduced us to the problem of depression and some treatments that may help, but focused primarily on the symptoms and not the root issue. But if we want to truly help someone have victory over it, we must address the underlying problem. Imagine a tree that is planted in shallow soil just above hard dirt so that it cannot take root firmly. Eventually, the wind comes and blows the tree over. The question then could be asked, what caused the tree to fall over? To say the wind would be to ignore the condition of the tree and focus on the circumstances around the tree. The real problem is the tree’s roots because with such a shallow rooting, it could have been anything that caused the tree to fall: the wind, its own weight, an earthquake, and so forth. Therefore, the wind was arbitrary and should not be the focus of our attention.

The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference defines depression as “a persistent mood that is characterized by intense feeling of inadequacy, sadness, hopelessness, pessimism, irritability, apprehension, and a decreased interest in or ability to enjoy normal activity.” This mood must last at least two weeks before being considered as clinical depression. It is worth mentioning the definition to highlight some words such as mood, feeling, interest, ability to enjoy, all of which have to do with emotions, particularly dealing with contentment. It is not that a person is unable to perform certain actions, he just lacks the desire to and it will not bring fulfillment. This gets fleshed out as the symptoms already mentioned, but if a counselor is seeking to help a depressed person, he must focus on what caused the emotions.

Consider the Israelites for a moment. Numbers 11 reveals a nation who complains, and that is the extent of their sin, yet God responds severely, verse one says, “And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp” (emphasis added). The Israelites complained because they were discontent in their situation. Many people try to make discontentment a respectable sin, but it is never seen that way in Scripture.

The Israelites are found grumbling again some chapters later in Numbers 21. Verse 5 records, “And the people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.’” Again, the only wrong the Israelites committed was complain to God, yet their judgment was similar to the time before—“Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.”

It might seem strange to be focusing on these examples on discontentment in an article about depression, but I would argue that depression, at its root, is a discontent attitude toward God. Using the definition of depression mentioned before, depression is really being discontent with one’s situation such that it affects the outward emotions and behavior of a person over an extended period of time. In other words, depression is allowing one’s discontentment to rule over them.

There are times when it seems right to be discontent with life, such as a death in the family. We’re even called to mourn with those who mourn, indicating that there are times when it would be right to do so. However, this is not discontentment. Paul says in Philippians 4:11-13 that he can be content in all circumstances through Christ who strengthens him. This shows that discontentment does not equate to being distressed, burdened, or mournful since Jesus experienced both of these in the Garden of Gethsemane and he wept over Lazarus. Rather, discontentment is a heart attitude that disapproves of what God is doing and thus, is essentially blaspheming God. It is plain to see in Numbers that God was the one who freed the Israelites from the Egyptians and eventually had them wander in the wilderness for 40 years. God is clearly seen as the sovereign one who put them in their situation, so when they complain about their situation, they are really complaining against God and challenging His goodness. The second example is a bit more obvious since they complain about the food that God provides for them. Clearly, they are complaining against God in this case.

Many people become depressed because they feel like a victim of their circumstances when really they are the wrongdoers because of their response. The counselee must, therefore, take responsibility for their own actions. Instead of considering their trials as a curse, they must meditate on Philippians 1:29 and see his suffering as a “gift of grace” from God.

Because the person is responsible for their actions, he must put off wrong speaking such as “It is hopeless.” This discourages the work of God and it is a lie. Rather, he should focus on praising and thanking God for using this time to make him more like Christ. That is exactly what Paul expresses in Romans 8:28-29—that God works all things for the good of those who love him, to bring him to Christlikeness.

Anyone who has worked with people knows that change like this does not happen overnight. But there are helpful steps to begin with, the first of which is for the counselee to seek a deeper relationship with God. It is impossible for someone to be fully satisfied apart from God, so the counselor should promote this relationship to their counselee.

Part of the strength to the counselee’s relationship with God is the man’s honesty before God. Times of trials will come but the goal is not to get angry with God. That is not what is meant by honesty. Rather, it is that the counselee expresses their desperate desires to God in faith that he will provide. The attitude should resemble Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 who pleaded with the Lord in a time of heavy trials, but was content when the Lord did not remove the trials. Paul demonstrates crying out to God in a God honoring way. The plea can be desperate and even bold as seen by Paul’s repeated cry. But no matter the outcome, the person’s response needs to be the same—an inner gladness and contentment.

Another helpful instruction for the counselee is to learn to control the outworking of their emotions and even the emotions themselves. Many people believe emotions are beyond a person’s control, but that is a lie. In fact, a person becomes depressed after believing one lie after another and letting those be truth to him. A Christian ought to know how deceptive our hearts are (Jeremiah 17:9). The heart might even be the greatest liar, yet so many people think, “I feel sad and alone. Therefore, I must be alone.” That is also a lie. God promises the believer in His word, “By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me.” A counselee must be instructed to believe truth over a lie—that is, God’s word over feelings or an interpretation of a situation.

The counselor must also promote a far sighted vision within their counselee. Instead of focusing on what is happening at the moment, a counselee should try to envision the grand plan of it all. Joseph is a great example of someone who waited many years from the time that his brothers sold him into slavery until the time he was second in command in Egypt. He suffered through scorn, slavery, imprisonment, and eventually abandonment. Yet he was able to conclude at the end of it all, that what his brothers meant for evil, God meant it for the good of many. Eventually, everyone will see that all the evil that was done on earth was used by God for good, but the goal is to get the counselee to that understanding in the midst of their trials. To do that, they must develop a far-sighted vision.