I’m indebted to Emily Smucker for today’s unexpected food for thought.
A photo-posting error on her part triggered this reminder for me:
At times I must be a source of sunshine for my children.
If I purposed to be that more often, what effect would it have on their dark times?
And what would it do for my own dreary times?
Well, here; read the red-booted girl’s own words:
Depression is a funny thing. Except it’s not funny at all, so perhaps interesting would be a better term to use. People who have never gone through will put it on a list of sins which hamper our spiritual life, up there with greed and pride, while the ones who have gone through it often don’t volunteer the information very readily.
Depression is, of course, an illness.
As embarrassed as I initially was about my abnormally depressed moods, I eventually came to the place where, in order to survive, I had to call up people I didn’t know, or barely knew, and say, “i need help.”
Eventually I also learned that if you tell someone that you are on depression medication, there is a surprisingly high chance that they will say, “me too.”
A side effect of prosaic, it turns out, is sleepiness. I am trying to end my dependence on depression meds and become less sleepy at the same time.
I’m ready for some sunshine in my life.
[…]
Oops. I tried to put in a picture of sunshine and got my dad instead.
Here’s what it looks like on her blog, after I did some trimming to the photo:
If you’re a father, remember one of your family members might be thinking, “I’m ready for some sunshine in my life.” Then turn on the sunshine!
And if you’re not a father, turn on the sunshine for someone else!
Ah, me. I don’t do very good at that. I get so engrossed in my own ___________! 🙁
“Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad” (Proverbs 12:25).
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (Proverbs 17:22).
“Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:4).
To read Emily’s full article and see the three photos with it, hike on over to It will rain.