One of the most profound things we talked about in class this week was a story Brother Williams told us about a woman he once helped. This woman struggled with depression for 20 years. How crazy is that?!? 20 YEARS!!!! Anyway, this woman avoided the public like the plague. She slept the majority of the day and was insecure about herself in ways that I had never seen or heard of. I do know people who struggle with depression; I, myself, am one of them. But I have never heard of it being to the extreme that this woman was at. As I listened to Brother Williams tell this story, it just amazed me at how far she came through her life. From being at a point in her life where she was diagnosing herself with how many days she would live to making a complete transformation where she could go out in public and be completely comfortable with herself as well as getting her children back after a court order had been issued saying she would NEVER get them back is just absolutely incredible! It made me really think about just how powerful thoughts can be. They can affect us in both good and bad ways, whether they come from those around us or from ourselves. One thing Brother Williams said that really seemed to impact me and stick with me was to look for the source of our emotions. What thoughts are we having that are leading to the emotions we are having both positive and negative? In my situation of depression, it is similar to the story of this woman. I have never been the most confident person or felt completely comfortable and secure with myself and who I am. So for me, hearing this story and listening to the lessons and methods this woman learned in order to help her clear up her depression was very beneficial to me. Just from this story, I learned not only a lot about life and ways to help me deal with it, but I also learned a lot about myself and just the way that I think. I am so grateful Brother Williams was willing to share this story with the class and sort of feel like maybe one of the reasons he shared it was specifically for me to hear. I'm not saying that he was inspired to share it because he felt like I needed to hear it, but I do believe the Lord gave me this opportunity to learn from another who has dealt or been around people that deal with this kind of thing, yet were able to make a complete transformation.
It is so true that everything we do or every emotion we feel begins with a thought. It is a matter of determining what that thought is especially if it is causing a negative emotion. Thoughts truly are a powerful thing. They can lead us in the right or wrong direction if we are not careful. A goal that I have decided to have for myself is to do as that woman did and try to determine what thoughts are causing what emotions. After the transformation she went through and turning her life around completely, I know that I should be able to do the same especially because my situation isn't as "extreme" as hers.
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