develops a meticulous devotion to duty, and is pre occupied with the smallest, most insignificant de tails. Combined with these traits there is often a compelling drive for the highest possible degree of success and excellence. The depressed person can put out a surprising amount of constructive work and assume a great deal of responsibility. He accomplishes this by driving himself ruthlessly. He is a slave driver for getting results; he brags of his accomplishments, prides himself that his work cannot be duplicated, that no one else could possi bly take his place, that his efforts are indispensa ble; his drive for power and control, his lack of appreciation for the feelings of others make him almost impossible to get along with.” Thus we see that even when he reaches his standard of perfec tion, he can become disagreeable, unlovable, and unappreciated which throws him into a fit of depression. 3. A perfectionist has a tendency to be un realistic, both toward himself and others. He seems incapable of adjusting to the demands made upon him by changes in the course of life. For instance, a very active person at church—one who teaches a Sunday school class, directs youth group, and is active in the calling program—may not recog nize that duties at home also demand his attention. Certainly the standard of Christian service at church is higher for the single person or young married couple without children than for a young mother with three small children. Home responsi bilities, of course, should not be offered as an ex cuse for lack of church attendance, but the cur tailment of some Christian activities should not cause Mrs. Melancholy to feel that she is forsaking her spiritual service, or that she is a success as a mother but a failure as a Christian. The truth of the matter is, she is not a success as a Chris tian until she is a success as a mother. The person who already has an overloaded schedule must either neglect his family or shirk some responsibility (which makes the perfection ist guilt-stricken) when taking on additional duties. Happy is the man who knows his limita tions and refuses to accept another responsibility unless he can complete the one for which he is presently accountable. It is far better to do a good job of a few things than a poor job of many things. This is particularly true of a conscientious person with perfectionist tendencies, for unless he does his best, he will never be satisfied with his accom plishments. Dissatisfaction with one’s accomplish ments often leads to depression. H yprocrisy L eads T o D epression The average Christian who attends a Bible- teaching church soon learns the standards o f the Christian life. If he attacks his weaknesses ex ternally rather than by the control of the Holy
Spirit working from within, he may become de pressed. Suppose a man has a problem with resent ment, bitterness and hostility. He soon learns that this is not the standard of spirituality for the Christian. Unless he handles this matter on a per sonal basis between him and God, he will try to solve it by the power of self-control. To control anger by the force of one’s will is not only futile, but it will lead to an explosion somewhere in the body—high blood pressure, heart trouble, ulcers, colitus, or a myriad of other maladies or it* may result in a belated explosion. The frustration that follows an angry reaction to a given situation leads to depression. A true cure for these problems must come from within through the power of the Holy Spirit. P hysical P roblems Physical problems can lead to depression. When ever a person is weak, even simple difficulties are magnified. This can be avoided in physical weak ness when one bears in mind the principle given by the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 12:9-10, “When I am weak, then am I strong.” Paul knew that the grace o f God was sufficient for a Chris tian after a severe illness or at any other time in his Christian experience. I have observed that individuals can become depressed when there is a mineral or vitamin de ficiency. I am told that Vitamin B is the nerve vitamin, the complete absence of which can make a person nervous, which in turn may lead to frus tration and depression. It is also apparent that some women suffer a hormone deficiency when going through the change of life, and this deficien cy often produces depression. Before a person at tributes all of his depression to spiritual reasons, physical causes should be investigated by their physician; however, most people are inclined to attribute their depression to physical problems rather than face the fact that it is spiritually and emotionally induced. T he D evil Most Bible teachers remind us that the devil can oppress a Christian even if he does not in dwell or possess him. It is true that some Chris tians seemingly have been depressed by the devil. Personally, I am not overly impressed with this reason because the Bible tells us, “He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world.” There fore, if a Christian is depressed by the devil, it is because he is not “abiding in Christ” or is not “ filled with the Holy Spirit.” We have all read of the nine characteristics of the Spirit-filled life. I do not find any place for depression as caused by the devil in the life o f the Spirit-filled Christian. We must meet the conditions and walk in the Spirit to avoid being depressed by the devil. Q©
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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