Romans 12:1-2
Lesson #10- “The Cause of it All”
Depression is like any other ailment we struggle with, alcohol abuse, pornography addiction, any sin that pulls on us on a daily basis (I’m not necessarily suggesting that depression is sinful or that all depression is). We have to keep aware of the possibility of relapse on a regular basis. Getting control of our thinking can be a very wonderful and profound metamorphosis, just as Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2.
But, Satan will not allow us to “coast” into heaven and there can be an invisible residue of mood disorder that remains and if that is not corrected and eliminated, the person prone to depression can be vulnerable to Satan’s attacks of depression in the future.
If you trip and fall into depression again, it might be that you have some hidden assumptions which explain why you fall into depression in the first place and when you identify your own hidden assumptions, you might be able to predict when you will fall into depression again and head it off at the pass.
A Dr. Arlene Weissman has developed the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale. Her scale can help one identify what hidden assumptions one is making so that he or she can correct those destructive thoughts. I can send the scale (in the form of a questionnaire) to you if you would like.
We have hinted at, through our devotionals, the types of assumptions we make. Here they are in summarized form, in one place (Dr. Burns, 285-289):
1. Approval – How strongly do you measure your self-esteem based on how people react to you and what (you perceive) they think of you? Are you independent in your thinking or do you evaluate yourself through other people’s eyes?
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2. Love – What is the basis of your self-image? That you are created uniquely by God? Or do you have an unhealthy desire to constantly please other people? Are you “addicted” to feeling loved by others?
3. Achievement – Are you a workaholic? Do you find your self-worth and your capacity for joy closely bound up with your productivity? Or do you find satisfaction in the journey as well as, if not more than, the destination?
4. Perfectionism – Are you in search of the unattainable: perfection in whatever you do? When you add Christian expectations into the mix and our inherent desire to please Christ, to be like Christ, we can make ourselves very miserable because we won’t cut ourselves some slack for being human. Rather, can you set meaningful, flexible, and appropriate goals for yourself and for others?
5. Entitlement – Do you feel entitled to success, love, happiness, etc.? Because you are good, because you work hard, because you are a Christian, you are entitled to the good things in life and everyone ought to be working to fulfill your happiness wish list – including God Himself? Or do you realize that life is not going to be fair all the time but God will bring about the good in His time? If so, you are patient, persistent, and can tolerate a high degree of frustration because you know that, ultimately, it is temporary.
6. Omnipotence – Do you tend to see yourself as the center of your universe and you hold yourself responsible for what goes on around you? Or do you realize you are not the center of your own world and you cannot control what other people do?
7. Autonomy – Do you live life based on the understanding that your thoughts and attitudes are largely under your control and they create positive, wholesome moods? Or do you still believe it is other people who ought to make you happy (even your spouse), that your self-esteem comes from other people and not from how you view yourself?
Paul Holland
