Are you sad in the morning and don’t feel like getting out of bed? Has life lost its appeal and you feel hopeless and are tired of pretending you are happy? Many people think the same way you do. Don’t give up because there is hope for you.
Consider putting joy back in your life through these following steps. J. O. Y. stands for, Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last. Jesus First
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) Jesus loves us and wants to have a relationship with each of us. God created mankind to have fellowship with Him, but when Adam and Eve sinned, everything changed. Before they had communion with Him, and after they sinned that fellowship was broken. Because of the fall, we are all born with a sin nature that is against God. Mankind now wants to do things on their own and tend to leave God out of their lives. To have joy back in our lives, we need to restore our fellowship with God by doing what we were created for, to have a relationship with Him. When we put Jesus first in our lives, it gives us a foundation that we can build our lives upon. He is the Good Shepard and wants to lead us to the still waters that quiet our soul.
Others Second
“My command is this, love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) When we put others second in our lives, then we develop a purpose for living. Depressed people have a negative view of themselves, their world, and their future. They have negative thoughts that lead to despair. When we think and do things for others, we come out of our shell and negative thoughts, and look to others and what is
going on in their lives. When we are helping others, we are taking our focus off of our problems and focusing on their needs. Jesus gave us the example of putting others first in our lives when He washed His disciples’ feet. In the spirit of humility, we should adopt Christ’s example and help one another. Another case in the Bible is the parable of the Good Samaritan. When a man fell into the hands of robbers, and was beat up and left on the road, a priest and Levite walked around him. Only the Samaritan stopped to help the injured man. The Samaritan went out of his comfort zone to help an injured person. We are all brothers and sisters in the family of God, and we should take care of one another. Getting out of our depressive thoughts and helping others puts us on the path of recovery.
Yourself Last
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is.” (1 John 3:2) One day we will all stand before God and give an account of what we have done on earth. We only have one life to live, will our life be pleasing to Him? The first commandment is to Love the Lord, and the second is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Loving ourselves means that we trust in God to help us through the good times and the bad times. The Lord, who created the heavens and earth, wants to help us overcome our symptoms of depression and will give us the inner strength to have joy in our lives. Loving ourselves means that we decide to let go of our negative thoughts and think positive thoughts.
Loving ourselves means that we take care of the bodies God has given us. We should eat healthily and exercise regularly. We should have healthy relationships and seek out friends that bring us up and not tear us down. As a Christian, it is essential to read our Bibles and pray regularly. Meeting and fellowshipping with other Christians are excellent ways of helping others and taking care of our spiritual needs. When you put Jesus first, others second, and yourself last, you will be on the road to reducing your symptoms of depression. You can find true joy in your life, and the fellowship with God that we were created for can be achieved.
