|
|
(Text
for a simple booklet on the subject of 'childhood depression')
WHEN
YOU FEEL
DOWN
IN
A
H
O
L
E
By
Richard Gunther and Steve Brodie
Sometimes,
people start digging a hole for themselves
They
dig and dig, until the hole is quite deep . . . and the funny thing is, they
think they can get out of the hole by digging even further!
The
best way to get out of a hole is :
1.
Stop digging
2.
Call for help
3.
Climb out
This
booklet was made to help people who feel really sad, or gloomy all the time. If
you feel like you are one of these kinds of people - like you're down in a hole
- here are some things you can do to get yourself out.
1.
STOP DIGGING
There
are many possible reasons for how you feel . . .
*
You may have lost someone you loved.
*
You may be doing something wrong, and not stopping doing it.
*
You may be eating too much junk food.
*
You may be staying up late every night and never get enough sleep.
2.
CALL FOR HELP
If
you feel like you are down in a hole, one good thing you can do is call for
help. Let someone know how you feel.
There
are lots of people around who can help you out of your hole.
*
Tell someone who cares about you, and let them know how you feel
*
Tell God about it in prayer - after all, it was God who made you, so He always
knows what to do
3.
CLIMB OUT
There
are many ways to get out of your hole, and to feel happy again :
*
One way is to eat only good food. A healthy diet can really help you feel well.
*
If you are doing something wrong, stop. Do what you know is right instead.
*
If you hate someone, stop hating them. If you have a grudge, forgive.
If
someone has hurt your feelings, or is doing something to you which you don't
like, ask God to help you forgive them, and then try to forget about it.
*Another
word for "always feeling gloomy" is "depressed".
To
understand why some people feel down in a hole, it helps if you also know where
people come from.
To
find the answers to these very important questions, we have to go to the Bible.
In
the Bible, in the first few chapters, we read that God created this world beautiful
and full of life. All the animals and the humans were healthy and happy.
All the food was great and the weather was always perfect.
For
a while, the first humans were obedient to God, and healthy, and happy,
but one day they disobeyed God.
God
had already warned them that if they disobeyed Him they would bring all
sorts of troubles to themselves, but they went ahead anyway . . . so the
troubles came to them, and then they spread to the whole world.
This
is why people are still having wars today, and making themselves sick, and
feeling unhappy. They are just like the first humans - still disobeying God.
So
we have all inherited the problems and the punishments which the first humans
started with, because we are no different from them.
Where
does God fit in to all this?
Well,
getting back to the Bible, we read that, at the beginning, when God made the
universe and the world, He wanted people to live for ever, and to be happy,
but they messed everything up. Troubles, and unhappiness and death was their
fault, not God's fault. And so was war, and bad behaviour. God never wanted any
of these things to happen to anyone.
Now,
if you read the Bible a bit more, you will come to four little books, called
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These four books tell the same story, about a man
called Jesus Christ, who came from heaven, and who spent his life helping
people.
He
showed people how to be happy, and how to forgive. He showed the love of God in
everything he did and said.
He
said if people copied him, they would be happy too.
Jesus
helped many people out of the holes they were in, and right now today, he can
still help.
GOOD
FOOD
FOR
YOUR BODY
This
is what's known as the 'food pyramid'. It shows the sort of food you should eat
more of at the bottom, and the sort of food you should eat less of at the top.
If
you eat right you'll feel bright!
GOOD
FOOD
FOR
YOUR HEART
Your
heart needs good food too.
As
a guide to what you should watch on TV, or read in a book, or what sort of
movies you should go to, or video games you should play, or what kind of company
you should keep, here is what the Bible says :
"Whatever
is true, noble, fair, pure, lovely, good, virtuous or pleasant . . . this is
what you should think about."
Philippians
4:8 (A
loose translation)
Your
mind is a wonderful thing. It is like a sponge, soaking up everything you put
into it.
But
whatever you put into your mind will have an effect on your feelings and
behaviour.
So
how do you treat your mind?
Is
it a beautiful bowl, or a rubbish bin?
One
way to get yourself out of a hole is to make sure that GOOD things go into your mind.
YOU
ARE WHAT YOU THINK!
Good
thoughts
Bad
thoughts
WHAT
GOD OFFERS TO YOU :
"Love,
joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and
self-control"
Galatians
chapter 5 verse 22
God
wants everyone in the whole world to have all the love, and joy, and peace they
need, but people who want these things must come to God the right way.
You
can't let God help you out of your hole until you let go of your shovel - then
your hands will be free to take God's hand.
He
will pull you out.
And
I'm
NOT
going
to
dig myself
into
that hole
again!