“Post-Pardon” Depression
One of the more baffling paradoxes in life is a phenomenon called "post-partum depression", or PPD. After nine months of waiting, planning, preparation, anticipation and (typically) great joy, a mom plays her part in bringing forth new life into the world. Love is in the air from every direction upon the arrival of the bundle of joy! It's a time of great change, new beginnings and many emotions....and somehow, many new moms find themselves at a place of real depression. PPD is typically characterized by a number of symptoms: mood swings, anxiety, sadness, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, crying and reduced concentration, among others. No doubt it must be challenging to contend with just one of these issues, let alone if they show up in combination….
There exists a very interesting parallel in the life of faith. Quite often, not long after all of the great joy, the love in the air, the new beginnings and the high emotions manifested in the midst of a new birth in Christ (being born again),it’s not difficult to find oneself faced with mood swings (because old friends won’t understand the new you), anxiety (from not knowing “church”), sadness (at the loss of some relationships, both friend and family), irritability (spawned of others’ cynicism), crying (when recognizing how good God is in spite of you) and feeling overwhelmed (by the she sheer immensity of such a big God calling out little you). Considering the spiritual seriousness of being at such a place and – as with PPD – the fact that the sufferer may be the last to know, let’s call this “post-PARDON” depression.
Chances are you’ve been there at some point during your journey. While the first line of defense in dealing with PPD is generally counseling and anti-depressants, addressing post-pardon calls for a different type of intervention. UN-like PPD, the first line of defense here is digging in to get closer to God through prayer and study – He says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Also, post-pardon can strike ANY of us at any point in our walk as we confront the many and varied challenges of a life lived for Christ; instead of Ambien, though, we have access to God right in the midst of our difficulty, and can ask Him to “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” And after that, we can simply stand back and watch Him grow us into who He wants us to be!
“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”