I find that just about any self-help book on mental illness has a section on "Gratitude." Gratitude is particularly effective when it comes to treating depression. And we should not be surprised by this. Anything that takes our minds off ourselves, and how we feel at the moment, is a good thing. Gratitude involves enumerating the things for which we are grateful. I have found it to be an effective elixir for my depression.
And older generations of Christians can attest to this. Some of us (I'm showing my age here) can recall the great gospel hymn, "Count Your Blessings." The refrain goes, "Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done." This makes me wonder if Christians have a special benefit from "doing Gratitude." Non-Christians and Christians alike can practice Gratitude by enumerating things for which they are grateful. We can all be thankful for things. But this seems a bit incomplete to me. In addition to being thankful for things, Christians can be thankful to someone, or rather to Someone. Most books on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) encourage "connecting with your Higher Power." But only Christians, in my opinion, can really do this, owing to their faith-based relationship with the Father through Christ.
So think about this. Or rather do it--this Gratitude thing. It not only works, but it's Scriptural. Colossians 3:15 tells us to "...let the peace of Christ rule in (our) hearts...And be thankful." There it is...a command. But just like any other tool in our arsenal to combat depression (more about this in later blogs), this takes practice. So don't get discouraged. Keep counting those blessings, and you will see over and over "what God has done."
Blessings!
The Christian Bipole
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