Nightlights

INTRODUCTION

Do you remember when you were a kid and had a nightlight in your room? Maybe there was one in the hallway or in the bathroom. Do you remember waking up in the middle of the night and how that little nightlight helped you find your way in the dark? Maybe you’re not a kid anymore, but you still have a nightlight! Nightlights are great no matter how old we are! It is so wonderful to have a little light in the darkness... a little light in the midnight hour! Life is full of all kinds of darkness. This book is about one of the greatest darkness’s known to man: DEPRESSION! It is a story about how God led me to develop a small group ministry for depression called “Nightlights”.
Depression is often described as “darkness” ... “a deep dark hole” ... “a dark tunnel”. There are so many people lost in this darkness, this deep dark hole, this dark tunnel and they can’t find their way out. If only they had a light... if only they had a nightlight... a light in the darkness, then maybe they could find their way out! God has a light ... God has a nightlight for whatever darkness we may face in this life — EVEN DEPRESSION! Depression has reached epidemic proportions in our world today! According to a CNN news report aired March 23rd, 2006, depression is the number one mental health problem in America. I remember many years ago someone talking about divorce in the following way. They said that every person has either been divorced or they know someone who is divorced. Today the same thing can be said about depression: “Every person has either suffered with depression or they know someone who is suffering with depression”! If you or someone you care about is suffering from depression, this book is written to give you or your friends and loved ones a nightlight in your hour of darkness!
Depression is defined as a mood disorder in which individuals experience extreme unhappiness, lack of energy and other characteristics that may include:
1. Persistent sadness and anxiety
2. Loss of interest in pleasurable activities including sexual activity
3. Restlessness, irritability or excessive crying
4. Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, hopelessness or pessimism
5. Excessive sleep or a lack of sleep
6. Fluctuating appetite and weight
7. Decreased energy and fatigue
8. Suicidal thoughts
Consulting a physician and/or psychiatrist is a wise part of diagnosing and treating depression. Patients may have another mental or physical illness that includes depression, but requires special treatment and medication. A good example of this is bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by severe mood changes (highs and lows/manic and depression). Although it includes periods of depression it is a different mental illness from depression alone and requires different treatment and medication. Some twin studies have indicated that there is a substantial genetic contribution to bipolar disorder risk. People with a blood relative who has bipolar disorder have a higher risk of developing it themselves. Although it can be very debilitating, with proper care and the right medication people with this disorder can live full productive lives.
As you read “Nightlights” you will read about person after person who was set free from depression. Most of these people had suffered with depression for several years or for most of their lives; they had chronic depression. They felt worthless or had a low self-esteem. On the other hand, people can have episodes or “bouts” of depression that are caused by or linked to such things as: the death of a loved one, loss of a job, tragedy, incarceration, a divorce or health problems. People who suffer with episodes of depression like the ones listed may not struggle with feeling worthless or may not have a low self-esteem. The “key” to being “set free” or knowing the cure for depression is finding or knowing the cause. All of the people that God brought into my life had battled depression for years and had two elements in common. One element or “cause” was that they felt worthless (had a low self-esteem). As you read “Nightlights” you will discover the other common element or “cause”.
I believe it is God’s special time to set many people free from depression. I want to share with you what God has shared with me. God took me on a journey so that I would understand the cause and the cure for depression. I want to take you on a journey. I want to take you on an exciting journey! I want to teach you what God taught me so that you or someone you love can be set free from depression. Remember that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all! When the light of God’s love and the light of God’s word shines into our soul He dispels the darkness of depression!
People love stories — TRUE STORIES! This book contains eight true stories. Each chapter is a different true story. Each chapter/story is divided into three parts/stories: My Story, Their Story and God’s Story. All of the stories together tell the story of my twenty five year journey with the Lord and the small group ministry for depression called “Nightlights”. They are told in the order that they happened in my life — in the order that God brought them about in my life. Hope you enjoy the journey, I HAVE!
The purpose of this book is to take you on a seven week journey that will set you free from depression. The book is designed to be read one chapter a week for seven weeks. Each chapter is written to be another step in your journey of freedom from depression. You may be tempted to read ahead. You may feel like it is too slow since you are anxious to get rid of your depression; however, I urge you to read it as prescribed. You didn’t get depressed overnight and most likely you won’t be set free overnight. Just like getting well takes time — being healed from depression takes time. Do you remember the time you were sick and the doctor gave you a prescription to take for a week to get well? At the end of each chapter you will find a prescription for the week to get rid of your depression. The key to making this book work is to take the medicine for your soul as prescribed! If you had a prescription to take some antibiotics three times a day for seven days but you kept skipping some of your doses; then you wouldn’t get well! The same is true for the prescriptions in this book. At the end of each chapter you will find a prescription (something to do) to be taken three times a day for seven days. Unlike a lot of medicine you have taken before, this medicine tastes good! Taste and see that the Lord is good!