Should I be ashamed..

[swift44]

Hello My 2nd biggest goal is to be a good christian person and achieve happiness at the same time.( my 1st biggest goal is to make God proud of me and hopefully the human race) But for a long, long time I have been depressed and i think that it could be a punishment from God for wanting to be happy which could be a sin, Do yo think it is a sin and what do you think can help me achieve my goal. Is it selfish to want to be happy and is it wrong please help me.

[UKGirl]

I'm afraid I'm not at all religious, so what I say may not be of any help to you, but I do believe if there is a god, he really would want everyone to be happy primarily, your own personal happiness is the most important thing, surely you can be a good christian as well?

[thatguy04]

As a fellow christian, I must say that I am pretty certain happieness is not a sin, unless it is achieved in sinful ways, i.e. drinking, smoking, plentiful amounts of sex, etc, which brings up another point. What do you find as achieving happiness?

I am also sure that as long as you keep being a good christian and make God proud, you can also be happy .

 

(just a side note, I found it odd that all of us have final fantasy 7 characters, barret, cait sith, and cloud)

[avman]

I do not believe it is a sin to want to be happy. Now if that happiness is achieved in "sinful" or unethical ways thats a different story.

 

I believe God wants us all to be happy and know that we are loved. I do not believe he would "cause" your depression simply because you desire to be happy. Perhaps he is testing you to see if you will draw closer to him during this crisis. Or maybe it is the enemy testing you to see if he can destroy your relationship with God. I don't know. What I do know is that if you stay strong in your faith, God will not give you anything you can't handle.

 

Please talk to your pastor or minister about this. I think they could be very helpful in sorting out your feelings. I would also encourage you to visit your doctor (if you haven't already) regarding your depression. It is likely that medication and counseling could help you tremendously.

 

avman

[swift44]

Do You think it could be Satan trying to pull me away from God since I am trying to be good but if so wouldn't God have power over satan and would'nt satan fail?

[swift44]

And Yes I do Find it awkward that we all have final fantasy 7 characters.

( Great Game)

[avman]

In the religious counseling I received that was one of the core ideas. That the enemy is darkness and will use this to draw us away from God. Yes God can defeat him, but only if you turn to him.

 

The enemy lies to you, telling you that you are no good, that you are worthless, that you are not worth loving, and that God would not bother with someone as worthless as you. These lies lead us away from God and so God cannot help us. If we realize that by turning to God we will receive all the blessings and benefits he gives, and that we are worthy of his love it can help pull us out of the depression and become more hopeful. That by using the power of God and Jesus you can command the enemy to leave you - and that the enemy must obey.

 

I had to combine this counseling with medication though because my depression was very deep and dark. The medication helped me focus and kept me from spiraling out of control. Without it I was unable to listen to what my counselor was telling me. But the counseling made me realize that I was a good and worthy person, and that God had a plan for me. Also that he forgives me for the mistakes I have made in the past and as long as I turn to him I will be alright.

 

I hope this helps you.

 

avman

[HollyBells]

wow, my answer is not profound, and I can't even remember exactly the part in the bible where it says that, but, somewhere there is a passage that roughly reads:

 

God created us to rejoice and be happy! prolly your depression is a test , and you can cope with it, because there is also a passage somewhere that reads:

God will never put on you more than you can handle"

 

anyway, hope it helps

[swift44]

Thank you for you replies they have helped me with alot and i feel thankful to have people here to help me especially because i feel as if my problem is a big part of my spiritual journey, thank you all and i hope the best for you.