Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12
Whenever I talk about the subject of depression, I never cease to be amazed at the number of people who respond by saying, "Yes, that's a picture of me. I don't know why I'm depressed but I am." And more times than not the letter or e-mail message will have some kind of a postscript saying something like, "By the way, I am a Christian and I know that I shouldn't be depressed, but I am, and then feel guilty because of it."
Analyzing some of those cries which come from way down deep, I can't help but feel that some of our dark moments could be avoided by understanding exactly what our relationship is with our heavenly Father, and how important we are to Him. One gentleman wrote saying that he had struggled with bouts of depression for thirty years, but then he found Christ as his personal Savior, which gave him new hope and helped him to overcome depression. That's how it should be. Knowing who you are can help you overcome depression. That's depression stopper #1: Knowing who you are--in relationship to your heavenly Father. Here's the foundation of that truth.
Do you remember the statement of John 1:12 that says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God"? Here John says that your relationship with your heavenly Father is that of child with his paternal father. It is the picture of an orphan who has been adopted into a family and then becomes the heir of all the father possesses. Understanding the concept of adoption under Roman law helps even more, for under Roman law the adopted son had equal rights of inheritance with the children who had come into the family by natural birth.
Furthermore, under Roman law the past of the adopted individual was legally wiped out. If he had committed crimes, those crimes were absolved. When he received the name of his adopting father, he literally became a new person, with the past forever forgotten. Understanding that your past is forgiven and forgotten should help you deal with depression. When God forgives you, the past is wiped out forever. "As far as the east is from the west," wrote the Psalmist, "so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). The east and the west never meet, so why allow yourself to become depressed over deeds which God has forgiven and thus will never be held against you?
Paul in Galatians 4 further developed the concept of adoption. Here he says God sent Christ, "to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons," says Paul, "God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, Abba, Father. So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir”(Galatians 4:6-7). The word Abba doesn't mean much to us today, but it does take on great significance when you understand that this Aramaic word was a term of great affection. Perhaps the closest equivalent is the expression, "daddy" or "papa." Nobody goes around calling just anyone "papa" or "daddy," yet this is the warmth and closeness of a relationship that can exist when we have become God's children.
As the adopted children of God, our heavenly Father wants us to grow and mature, yet when we fall, He will forgive us and help us up, just as our earthly fathers did when we were learning to walk. Friend, knowing who you are and what your relationship is to your heavenly Father really can be a great depression‑stopper. It's the first step towards healing and peace of mind and heart.
(Resource reading: Galatians 4:1-11).
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