by Deborah Lawwill

Created on: June 12, 2009

Faith is like a sweet elixir to the melancholy soul. It is the driving force behind a hope that cannot be explained. It saves lives and heals the sick. It makes us better people, stronger people, closer to the divine. It is the song that the birds sing so gratefully each morning. It brings joy to all who grieve and strength to those who have none. It takes away the sting of poverty, and the loneliness of the wealthy. It does what nothing else is capable of doing, with no logical explanation whatsoever.

For many years I struggled with depression, and still do. Faith is what keeps me alive and well. Faith tells me that everything will be alright, that not all is lost. It forces me to look upwards, to look around me and see the many blessings that I've been given. When I started becoming more in tune with God and communicating with him more it was like the depression was slowly slipping away.

Prayer is something that has really helped me overcome my depression. I pray each day many times a day, especially when I feel upset or depressed. I was diagnosed clinically depressed but I refused medication because I'd seen what it did to my mother. Rather, I prayed. I prayed constantly each day. I told God my hopes, my fears, my dreams, what I wanted, everything that was important to me or that was hard for me. Each day since then I've been getting better. I've heard and read similar stories by many different individuals across many different countries.

Depression feels like an enormous weight on top of you constantly throughout your day. It makes you feel lethargic, apathetic, and in some cases, suicidal. But a person with faith has a powerful tool to combat this malfunction of the brain. When you have faith, you know that your problems are being solved by a greater being. Just having that simple knowledge lifts a gigantic burden off of someone.

Heavy stress can lead to depression and many other mental illnesses. When you have faith, you don't stress as much, causing the brain to decrease the harmful chemicals caused by stress and other negative emotions. In some cases, depression is genetically inherited. For these people, it is harder to fight but never impossible. I believe that a person with faith can do anything they put their mind to do, including healing their mind of any illness that trys to linger there. Faith is essential to a healthy life both physically and mentally.

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