SIX RULES FOR DAILY LIVING -
A WAY OUT OF DEPRESSION
GLEANED FROM THE PAST
BY LILACLADY JUNEBUG2
IN THIS LIFE OF OURS
WE
OFTEN
FIND
OURSELVES
WALKING
AS IT WERE
IN THE VALLEY OF SHADOWS
THE WAY
HAS
BECOME DIFFICULT.
OUR
HEART
IS
BURDENED AND
WEIGHTED DOWN.
THIS CAN HAPPEN
AT
ANY TIME
ANY PLACE
TO ANY ONE
HERE ARE SIX DAILY RULES
A WAY OUT OF DEPRESSION.
When I was younger, in 1965 my
dear husband was working for the
U.S.Forest Service, and I was home
much with my two children.
My husband and I were dedicated to the Lord's work, and were indeed very active in our church ministry. As a Pastor-Teacher, he usually worked to support himself as a Pastor by working, and yet
found time to prepare his sermons, and spend time with me.
We had just moved the winter before to a house located in an orchard, where all around us apple and pear trees abounded.
Not a new house, it was, however comfortable. That winter was a hard one, with a really hard S T O R M of snow and ice that as it came down on everything, it would melt and then freeze in what they called "AN ICE THAW"
There was damage done to our septic tank out in back
of our home - I was not much aware of it - but was notified by my dear husband that it had broken up due to the ice.
Several months went by.
Spring came with the lovely daffodils and the budding trees.
I was enjoying my little black puppy that had been given us,
and blithefully unaware of any hint of trouble.
T H E N DISASTER....
Ohhhhh ! What a sight ! I saw ! as
my dog now about six months old was
wagging its tail and was S T I N K Y and
dirty ! AND JUST COVERED with
fecal manure...
and
NOW I KNEW I HAD TO
BATHE HIM
My children were not at home
at this time - so I knew I had to
do it B E F O R E they
came home.
KNOWING THE RISK,
I WASHED
AND WASHED
AND WASHED
AND THREW OUT THE
TOWELS USED TO DO IT
AFTER THIS MY DOG BLACKIE WAS
BATHED.
So I knew I needed to bathe him.
I did not want the children to be exposed to this.
In this picture, it shows how big a six month dog
can be. I knew I had a duty before me.
My heart was thinking as I did all this.
I need to be very careful not to get
infection.
I washed myself carefully
after I was done.
I spoke to my landlord about the Sewer...
was he going to fix it ?
When he could, he would.
I was distraught.
Began to get moody.
Found myself tired. Worn out.
Thoroughly unsure of myself.
As a Believer in the Lord Jesus,
I have always been very enthusiastic
in my service to the Lord. However,
as weeks went by, I began to be
morose, and "depressed."
One day, I realized I needed to go to the
doctor.
I wasn't sure, but I thought just maybe
I might have hepatitis - the serious kind
the kind no one wanted
….
so I spoke to Henry one Sunday about this,
which took him by surprise...
he said, we will go in to the hospital
this afternoon.
Well !
You know, when we got to the
hospital,
they took me right in,
put me where they could examine me,
and immediately told my husband
it was indeed
very
serious.
I was in the Hospital for ten days.
While I was recuperating, husband and
the children had to have special
medicine to make sure they did not
have what I had.
The dog had been the reason I got
this.
God was with me the whole time.
He helped me adjust to what
was being done.
My body was weak, but the treatment
worked, and little by little
I got better.
This was our family at that point.
Just before I got sick.
God's love was much a part of my life,
and I had no greater joy than
my family.
IT WAS AFTER I GOT HOME
THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT
TO GET MY JOY BACK.
One day, as I was reading the Reader's Digest
I came across an article by a lady who
similarly had lost her joy, though for different reasons.
And she found in an attic a box with a piece of paper in it that had this title
SIX RULES FOR DAILY LIVING
-
Here I share them with you
For they helped me
come out of a difficult depression
and I learned again, to take my days
as God allowed, one at a time.
RULE 1
Do something "for someone else"
no matter how small the task,
Look around.
Perhaps it is a new neighbor who just moved here.
A small packet of tea with a few blooms from
your yard, even if just wildflowers, might
encourage that person,
and it gives you a new UPLOOK.
RULE 2
Do something for myself,
no matter how small the task
Reward yourself. In my case,
it often was a simple thing
like a hot bath, or, a special time
just sketching at the table.
Find yourself "thankful" for the
small things you can do.
START THE OUTLOOK
AND UPBEAT by using
what you have
to do what you can
as you can
however you can, God helping you.
RULE 3
Do something that I do not want
to do, but it MUST BE DONE,
that I have been putting off, no matter how small.
With this, I found a drawer that
needed to be sorted out, and took it
and carefully, mindfully went through it
IT NEEDED TO BE DONE, and
the big tasks seemed too hard,
so I would procrastinate on the little things,
and so
I learned to take them one at
a time
and begin
to BUILD MY CONFIDENCE
AND MY JOY.
RULE 4
Do a physical exercise - no matter how small.
This rule can be combined with the others,
and can be a real help. Just taking a walk
around the block, or
setting your mind to doing a bit
of work in the yard.
I found myself enjoying my life
again.
Learning to enter the day
with a smile and heart felt gratitude.
RULE 5
Either write out or say an original prayer
TALK TO GOD - which includes
counting my blessings no
matter how small.
All of us - can do these simple
rules -
they do not have to be done in
order
nor
do they need to all be done in a day...
but
it can help.
RULE 6
DETERMINE TO APPLY
ONE OF THESE AT LEAST
EVERY DAY
BY
RECKONING ON GOD
TO HELP ME.
I found each day became more precious
as I used these rules to find
my way out of depression.
Psalm 119.105
THY WORD IS A LAMP UNTO MY PATH,
A LIGHT UNTO MY FEET
With God's Word,
and these six rules
I found my way
back into living with
joy and upbeat smile, and hopeful heart.
John 15.7
If ye abide in me,
and my words abide in you,
ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you."
Jesus gave these words to his disciples
before heading to the Cross,
knowing He would rise again,
and they would be Spreading the News
of HIs Life and Message everywhere
they went.
We need to do the same.
We need to face depression with these
rules, and recognize the need to let
our Joy indeed be full, as Jesus wanted us to do.
John 15.11
These things have I spoken unto you,
that my joy might remain in you,
and that your joy might be full.
Matthew 17.22
If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,
ye shall say unto this mountain,
Remove hence to yonder place,
and it shall remove;
and nothing shall be
impossible unto you.
WALKING BY FAITH
I KEEP CLIMBING
COME JOURNEY WITH ME
