As I pondered "winter" my thoughts turned to bleakness, dead trees, deariness, death. Not very beautiful. Then I started thinking about times in my life that were like that. Times of depression. Depression is like being in the dead of winter--it is dark, lifeless, and miserable.
Another way in which depression and winter are similar is in how they find their beauty. The beauty of winter and the beauty of depression are in their ending. Of them yeilding to spring.
I spent much of 2004 and part of 2005 depressed. But, God in His mercy lifted me out of the deep, dark pit I had fallen into. The joy that filled my life in the following days was immeasurable! As I learned to live and love again, I kept looking back into the dark prison from which I had emerged only to marvel about how amazing my God is that He was able to resuce me and set me free to enjoy Him and the Life He has given me once again.
Yes, the best part of depression (and there is no other good thing about it) is coming out from under it. And for me, that is also the beauty of winter--the promise of the coming spring!
And as a sidenote: I am glad that the analogy ends there. Winter must happen every year; it is part of the cycle of life; depression does not have to happen. Praise God. Moreover, there is nothing good about depression except being rescued from it; whereas winter offers several nice things worth enjoying--like snow falling gently blanketing the earth below, like sledding down a hill while screaming and laughing as loud as I can, like ice skatin, and like warming up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.
Oh, but I now live on a tropical island, and winter days spent like that are only pipe dreams. My most wintery of winter days now consist of weather in the 50s with no heater--and that is a "cold day."
Photo originally uploaded by Lady-Bug.
Apt analogy! Winter can be a state of mind. http://mother-lode.blogspot.com/2006/01/winter-of-mind.html
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll emotionally be on your tropical island for a long time.
I'm glad I found you through the Carnival of Beauty.
Amanda ~ you know, there is even beauty in sensing God's hand as He walked beside you in your depression and set you free! Blessings ~ Patricia
ReplyDeletePraise God! He is so merciful to set us free when we just get out of the way and let Him. This is not an analogy I'll soon forget. Lovely post with crucial insight, Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI've been through a horrid winter, too, in the form of panic attacks - an artificial prison with an iron grip that seems more real than life. Praise the Lord, he freed me, too! But I think it was more like Hell than winter, except for the cold! Glad you've been delivered from your depression. God is good--all the time.
ReplyDeletePatricia, I have been thinking about your comment off and on ever since I read it yesteday. You know, the fact that God never left me nor fosaked me while I was depressed is head knowledge only. So, yes, it is a wonderful, beautiful thing that he was with he the whole time. But, it was not something I could appreciate at that time.
ReplyDeleteCarmen, I want to "steal" your "thinking thoughtfully on thursdays" idea! I love it!! :) Glad you have been freed--I didn't even know I was so depressed till I came out of it.
The deceiver can be so convincing; I am just grateful that He who is truly is in charge is so much more powerful!
Thanks Ladies for commenting! :) I will surf over to your blogs now. :)
I'll share the Thinking Thankfully on Thursdays line - have fun with it. I enjoy your blog and appreciate your work in Taiwan.
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