Friday, March 22, 2019

SIX RULES FOR DAILY LIVING - A WAY OUT OF DEPRESSION

        SIX RULES FOR DAILY LIVING -

A WAY OUT OF DEPRESSION 

                                                     GLEANED FROM THE PAST 

                                                    BY LILACLADY JUNEBUG2  
  

IN THIS LIFE OF OURS 
WE
OFTEN 
FIND 
OURSELVES 
WALKING 
AS IT WERE
IN THE VALLEY OF SHADOWS

THE WAY 
HAS 
BECOME DIFFICULT.

OUR 
HEART
IS 
BURDENED AND
WEIGHTED DOWN.

THIS CAN HAPPEN 
AT 
ANY TIME
ANY PLACE
TO ANY ONE 

HERE ARE SIX DAILY RULES
A WAY OUT OF DEPRESSION.

    When I was younger, in 1965  my
dear husband was working for the 
U.S.Forest Service, and I was home
much with my two children.
My husband and I were dedicated to the Lord's work, and were indeed very active in our church ministry.  As a Pastor-Teacher, he usually worked to support himself as a Pastor by working, and yet 
    found time to prepare his sermons, and spend time with me.
We had just moved the winter before to a house located in an orchard, where all around us apple and pear trees abounded.
Not a new house, it was, however comfortable.   That winter was a hard one, with a really hard S T O R M of snow and ice that as it came down on everything, it would melt and then freeze in what they called "AN ICE THAW"    

There was damage done to our septic tank out in back
of our home -  I was not much aware of it - but was notified by my dear husband that it had broken up due to the ice. 

Several months went by.
Spring came with the lovely daffodils and the budding trees.
I was enjoying my little black puppy that had been given us,
and blithefully unaware of any hint of trouble.

T H E N    DISASTER....

Ohhhhh !   What a sight ! I saw ! as 
my dog now about six months old was 
wagging its tail and was S T I N K Y and 
dirty !  AND   JUST COVERED with 
fecal manure... 
and 
NOW I KNEW I HAD TO 
BATHE HIM

My children were not at home 
at this time - so I knew I had to 
do it B E F O R E  they 
came home.

KNOWING THE RISK,
I WASHED 
AND WASHED 
AND WASHED
AND THREW OUT THE 
TOWELS USED TO DO IT
AFTER THIS MY DOG BLACKIE WAS
BATHED.

So I knew I needed to bathe him.
I did not want the children to be exposed to this.
In this picture, it shows how big a six month dog
can be.   I knew I had a duty before me.

My heart was thinking as I did all this.
I need to be very careful not to get 
infection.
I washed myself carefully
after I was done.

I spoke to my landlord about the Sewer...
was he going to fix it ?
When he could, he would.

I was distraught.
Began to get moody.
Found myself tired.   Worn out.
Thoroughly unsure of myself.

As a Believer in the Lord Jesus,
I have always been very enthusiastic
in my service to the Lord.   However,
as weeks went by, I began to be 
morose, and "depressed."

One day,  I realized I needed to go to the 
doctor.  
I wasn't sure, but I thought just maybe 
I might have hepatitis - the serious kind 
the kind no one wanted
….
so I spoke to Henry one Sunday about this,
which took him by surprise...
he said, we will go in to the hospital 
this afternoon.

Well !
You know, when we got to the
hospital,
they took me right in,
put me where they could examine me,
and immediately told my husband
it was indeed 
very
serious.

I was in the Hospital for ten days.
While I was recuperating, husband and 
the children had to have special
medicine to make sure they did not
have what I had.

The dog had been the reason I got 
this.   

God was with me the whole time.
He helped me adjust to what 
was being done.
My body was weak, but the treatment
worked, and little by little 
I got better.



This was our family at that point.
Just before I got sick.  
God's love was much a part of my life,
and I had no greater joy than
my family.



IT WAS AFTER I GOT HOME
THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT 
TO GET MY JOY BACK.

One day, as I was reading the Reader's Digest 
I came across an article by a lady who
similarly had lost her joy, though for different reasons.
And she found in an attic a box with a piece of paper in it that had this title 

SIX RULES FOR DAILY LIVING
-
Here I share them with you
For they helped me 
come out of a difficult depression
and I learned again, to take my days
as God allowed, one at a time.

RULE 1
Do something "for someone else"
no matter how small the task,
Look around.
Perhaps it is a new neighbor who just moved here.
A small packet of tea with a few blooms from
your yard, even if just wildflowers, might 
encourage that person,
and it gives you a new UPLOOK.

RULE 2
Do something for myself,
no matter how small the task

Reward yourself.   In my case,
it often was a simple thing
like a hot bath, or, a special time
just sketching at the table.
Find yourself "thankful" for the 
small things you can do.
START THE OUTLOOK
AND UPBEAT by using 
what you have 
to do what you can
as you can
however you can, God helping you.
RULE 3
Do something that I do not want
to do, but it MUST BE DONE, 
that I have been putting off, no matter how small.

With this, I found a drawer that 
needed to be sorted out, and took it
and carefully, mindfully went through it
IT NEEDED TO BE DONE, and 
the big tasks seemed too hard,
so I would procrastinate on the little things,
and so
I learned to take them one at 
a time
and begin 
to BUILD MY CONFIDENCE
AND MY JOY.



RULE 4
Do a physical exercise - no matter how small.
This rule can be combined with the others,
and can be a real help.  Just taking a walk
around the block, or
setting your mind to doing a bit 
of work in the yard.
I found myself enjoying my life
again.
Learning to enter the day
with a smile and heart felt gratitude.

RULE 5
Either write out or say an original prayer
TALK TO GOD -  which includes 
counting my blessings no 
matter how small.

All of us - can do these simple 
rules - 
they do not have to be done in 
order 
nor
do they need to all be done in a day...
but 
it can help.
RULE 6   
DETERMINE TO APPLY
ONE OF THESE AT LEAST
EVERY DAY
BY
RECKONING ON GOD
TO HELP ME.





I found each day became more precious
as I used these rules to find 
my way out of depression.

Psalm 119.105  
THY WORD IS A LAMP UNTO MY PATH,
A LIGHT UNTO MY FEET 

With God's Word,
and these six rules 
I found my way 
back into living with
joy and upbeat smile, and hopeful heart.

John 15.7
If ye abide in me,
and my words abide in you,
ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you." 
Jesus gave these words to his disciples 
before heading to the Cross,
knowing He would rise again,
and they would be Spreading the News
of HIs Life and Message everywhere 
they went.

We need to do the same.
We need to face depression with these
rules, and recognize the need to let
our Joy indeed be full, as Jesus wanted us to do.
John 15.11
These things have I spoken unto you,
that my joy might remain in you,
and that your joy might be full.



Matthew  17.22
If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,
ye shall say unto this mountain,
Remove hence to yonder place,
and it shall remove;  
and nothing shall be 
impossible unto you.


WALKING BY FAITH 
I KEEP CLIMBING  

COME JOURNEY WITH ME