Last week someone asked me a question.
When you are having all this depression and dark time, are the kids around? Do they know you are suffering, and troubled?
When you experience depression and loneliness for weeks and even months and years, then yes your kids will be around. Do my kids know? This is an interesting question. So the quick answer is yes – I talk openly about my depression and loneliness with my kids. I ask for prayer and I make sure they know God is doing things for a reason. It is not always easy to glorify God when you are in this state of mind but I have to because He is sovereign and has planned all this from eternity past. I may not know the reason but I trust God.
I asked them that morning if they thought it was good that I talked openly about depression. They both said yes. Then I asked them if every day was supposed to be strawberries and cherries. Kristen said some days are unicorns and rainbows but not many, most are strawberries and cherries and others are garbage. I was glad to hear that most days are strawberries and cherries.
Do I want my children to be ignorant of depression and loneliness? Do I want them to believe that God is not in control when things happen, both good and bad? I want my children to be prepared and part of that is sharing the struggles – the real struggles of my faith. My children see both the good times and the bad. I praise God each day for what He gives. His love really demands it.
I pray and know that God will use me and everything in my life to shape them into the Christians they need to be to serve Him, glorify Him, honor Him for everything in their lives. At least that is my desperate prayer…