There was a time when I didn’t understand depression. When I knew someone was going through it, I would often think that they should just “cheer up”. And if they were a Christian, they needed to cheer up fast, because Christians don’t really struggle with things like that. My misconceptions all came to a halt when I had my first episode of depression myself. I was on a work assignment in Houston, Texas and it felt like the oddest thing. It was an overwhelming sadness. It got so unusual that I even had no motivation to pray. That’s when I knew I had to reach out to someone. I spoke to my spiritual mentor who helped me on the spot through the scriptures and prayer. I’d love to say that was the end of it, but it appeared again at different times and stayed with me on and off through a lengthy season. However, I wouldn’t have learned or grown from it had I not gone through it. Some things you just don’t grasp without the fire of refinement. That’s what this quiet time is about.
What could be happening in the trial of depression? Let’s exam Naomi from the Book of Ruth.
Read Ruth 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Ruth 1:11-13a
“But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons—would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters.”
Q: Why do you think Naomi pushed away the only people that she had in her life, at one of the most devastating moments of her life?
Q: Can you identify specifically the emotions that Naomi was experiencing as she spoke these words? Use an emotional wheel if needed.
Q: What is a more mentally and emotionally healthy way Naomi could have handled this crossroads situation?
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?” Ecclesiastes 4:9-11
Ruth 1:13b
“It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”
Ruth 1:20-21
“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
Q: How is Naomi feeling about God in this moment?
Q: What do you think caused Naomi to reason that the death of her husband and sons was due to God turning his back on her?
Q: If you’ve felt this way before in hard times, what led you to reason this way?
Ruth 2:2
“And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”
Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters.”
Ruth 2:17-18
“So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.”
Reflect: Naomi had no more sons that could take care of her. She was an older woman, likely not able to work physically to put food on the table. Describe in what ways God provided for Naomi in her time of need.
Ruth 3:1-4
“One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for. Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.””
Ruth 3:16
“When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?” Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her”
Q: In Naomi’s recovery from depression, what is she actively doing?
Q: What can you learn from Naomi being that she lost her husband and is now helping her daughter-in-law find a husband?
Q: Along with prayer and reading the Bible for God’s comfort and guidance, what is something you can do during a period of depression inspired by Ruth 3:1-4 and Ruth 3:16?
Ruth 4:14-17
“The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.”
Q: What can you conclude about God’s character while examining Naomi’s experience with hardship–from loss, depression, and to later holding a new born baby in her hands.
Q: If you are currently experiencing depression, what lessons and opportunities do you think are being presented to you?