- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
That is beautiful. Prayer can help someone who is depressed, but it also can hurt someone who is depressed. The difference is within the person and the nature of the prayer.
Generally speaking, depression cannot be cured by prayer, but I’m not certain true depression (strong and lasting enough to cause serious disruption to normal functioning) can be cured by anything. Even medication that alleviates the symptoms only masks it while the meds are being taken – and many people need to change their medication periodically as the impact weakens or disappears. The issue still is within the person; it simply is being managed to an acceptable degree. (Please don’t read this paragraph as an endorsement of medicine as the best option for all people dealing with depression or other issues.)
Prayer absolutely can help a lot of people manage depression, but I don’t believe someone can pray away depression.
DarkJedi wrote:
Roy wrote:
Quote:The Other Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity
To stop beating myself up for not doing things perfectly,
The courage to forgive myself because I’m working on doing better,
And the wisdom to know that You already love me just the way I am.
Eleanor Brownn
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: Love it, thanks.
This is excellent…and I will use this a lot in my prayers and meditations…LOVE IT!Thanks all for your help, here’s the follow up to what happened. Note I had prepared for about 15 minutes and actually had a few minutes less than that, so I did consolidate some of my written remarks. I began the words to the first two verses of “Where Can I Turn For Peace” because that song came to me early on and wouldn’t go away (which I told them). I asserted that human nature seems to be that we seek peace, and that is evidenced in part by different religions teaching how to achieve peace and that Christians believe peace can come through Jesus Christ (of which I bore testimony).
I then went into the First Vision, quoting Joseph’s own words about the anguish he felt and pointed out he was seeking peace. I also quoted from the 1832 version where he talked more about his concerns about his sins and was seeking forgiveness, which he got. I summed up that section by saying I wasn’t attempting to downplay the importance of Joseph wanting to know which church to join, rather there are many important things we can learn from his accounts of the FV and seeking peace through Christ is just one of them.
I then quoted both Serenity Prayers (thanks again Roy) and talked a bit about how we can be really hard on ourselves but that we do have Heavenly Parents who love us and do all that they can to help us return. I had planed to talk about how the sacrament helps us in that respect, but bore a simple testimony of the sacrament instead.
I said that Jesus does have the power to forgive and instead of reading several whole stories from the Bible I summarized them and read only the words of Christ at the end of each. The stories were the paralytic man, the woman who bathed Jesus’s feet with her tears, and the woman taken in adultery. I also summarized the first part of the parable of the prodigal son and read the end starting with the part about the son telling his father he was sinner and unworthy to be called his son. I pointed out in all these cases forgiveness was instant and for the asking, and none of them were unworthy of forgiveness. “‘All of us are ‘still far off’ but all we need to do is turn toward God – another way of saying ‘repent’ – and ask for forgiveness.”
I concluded with Jesus on the cross and “why has thou forsaken me.” I said that this was apparently something Jesus needed to do on his own, and an experience he needed to have because “The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” I then said there are such things for us as well because we came here to learn and to experience and “God is not a helicopter parent.” I went back and did the final verse from Where Can I Turn and and quoted John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Excellent. I wish I could of been there. Well done. I am glad that we could help and that you were successful in your task. :thumbup: Love it. Thanks for posting it.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.