Christian Bible Lesson 133: Do not be Depressed

Bible Verses

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”– Psalms 23:4

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”– Joshua 1:9

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”– Isaiah 41:10

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”- Romans 8:38-39

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

Do not allow yourself to lose sight of your objectives in life due to depression.  It is important that you understand that God is with you and will not allow you to endure more than you can handle. 

Keep sight of your objectives and continue to move toward them, always helping others find their way.  It is easy to allow yourself to lose sight of those things you wish to accomplish because of unforeseen challenges or even outright failures.  It is much more difficult to remain on your course toward planned accomplishments when facing major challenges.

It is much more challenging to achieve your goals in the middle of disasters and turmoil than when everything is going smoothly.  You should not wish for disasters and turmoil, but you should not stop your progress either.

Christian Bible Lesson for Today

Greg worked hard in school and college.  He wanted to learn how to build buildings that not only had a special look but were supportive of the entire community.  He wanted to design and build structures that defined a community. 

He worked hard in college and graduate school to learn as much as possible about designing and building structures that supported entire communities. 

After he earned his Ph.D., he worked for two other companies to gain practical experience and save income.  He worked hard to develop as many basic skills as he could. 

Then he moved to a rural community in Iowa.  He started a business that designed and built community centers, almost like shopping malls.  He started his business very quickly.  He built two small shopping centers, both just outside of the town.  The store owners were happy, and the customers liked the experience at the centers. 

Shortly after he finished the second shopping center, he started planning a major structure in the center of town.  This was his dream project.  He quickly contracted four other companies to work with him on the development. 

His first challenge was getting the City Council’s approval for the initial design.  The city would pay for the structure because it was not a shopping center, it was a beautiful park, museum, and ice-skating rink. 

Greg’s first challenge was the City Council.  There were five members, and they all had their own idea of what was good for the city.  After over three months of arguing and making compromises, an agreement was reached.  Greg was exhausted and felt some of his vision had left.

Then the final designs for the park and the skating rink took another two months to approve.  At this point, Greg was almost out of energy.  Greg was a religious man.  He prayed for strength to finish the project and have an outcome that would make everyone proud.

Then, after the plans were approved, two of the labor unions went on strike.  The outcome of the strike caused the required budget to become greater than the amount approved.  Greg became very depressed.  He had a difficult time sleeping and working with the other staff.  He did manage to keep his spirits high and think about the result.

Then Bill, one of the City Council Members, began to challenge major parts of the plans.  Bill wanted to cut back on the project and spend more money on upgrading the roads and increasing the city services.  This effort was devasting to Greg.  He worked so hard to accomplish this vision and now it was falling apart.  Greg started to lose his desire to finish the project.  He worked his whole life for this opportunity and now it is so close yet may not happen. 

Greg took a week off and went to visit his brother, Ben, who lived in North Dakota.  When Gerg met with Ben, he told Ben about his dream and how close he came until one City Council Member is blocking the entire project.  Ben listened to Greg, but he had a completely different point of view.  Ben felt that if Greg’s plan was the better solution for the town, then Greg should learn more about Bill and how he works.  Then he should see how he can fit some of Bill’s plans into his design.  Ben felt Greg should not see Bill as an enemy, but as someone he needs to consider. 

Greg thought about his brother’s approach for a couple of days and decided that it was much better than giving up.  Greg went back to his town and met with Ben.  They worked on a plan that still allowed Greg to achieve his vision of creating a development that would have a positive effect on the entire community and still consider the economic issues from Bill.   

Greg thought about how much he appreciated his brother.  He was ready to give up on his lifelong dream when he needed to have some trust in life in general and realize he needed to include the desires of others when he is accomplishing something so monumental. 

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

It is important to understand that when you plan major projects in life, you will experience challenges.  The greater the projects, the more challenges are likely.  We must all learn to appreciate the sacrifices and adjustments many people experience to achieve greatness and improve all of our lives.