The topic on my heart today is children and depression. When I was a child, I got the message that children were not allowed to be depressed because they don’t pay any bills and have not lived long enough to have gone through anything truly traumatic. This argument is not only untrue, it is hurtful. I interpreted the above comment as, “you are not significant enough for me to care about your feelings. Besides, you are weak for getting upset over such small things”. Needless to say, my depression that began around the age of six increased exponentially as time passed. It continued until God healed me in my twenties. Even after becoming a Christian, I still struggled with this issue for some time. I had to learn that my feelings did matter even if no one agreed with them. I had to learn that my pain was just as valid as everyone else’s even if other people’s situations were worse than mine.

This experience with depression has helped me to easily recognize this bitter enemy at work in others. I have worked with many children, including 3 and 4 year olds, who were already deeply affected by intense inner pain and rejection.  I can recall one child in particular, a 4-year-old, who had an explosive outburst in my classroom. The child suddenly began screaming and throwing things across the room. Ordinarily, I would have disciplined a child for such behavior, but not this time. God showed me the root of this tantrum was not naughtiness. This child was hurting in deep places in her soul. All I could do was to scoop the child up into my arms where she broke down and began sobbing uncontrollably. She screamed for her mother whom she felt had abandoned her. I prayed and held her for as long as I could. I knew that I could not fix her problems. Only Jesus could. The child I held is still struggling with depression and behavioral issues to this day and this incident happened several years ago. It truly pains me to see children suffer because they have no voice. They cannot adequately express sorrow and when they try, they are often written off as being dramatic. Depression is claiming too many children and adolescents. The news is full of victims who only get to speak after the worst has happened. As I look around, I see so many fading and screaming inside for someone to listen, but often no one does. Depression is quiet, but deadly. I pray that adults would begin to speak for these children to prevent the enemy from stealing them right from underneath our noses.

Dear God,

Please help me to do my part for Your children. Help me not to simply stand by as the devil steals child after child. Help me to be a good listener and to recognize and understand what children cannot express. Help me to recognize the results of rejection and abuse. Please
help me to be the solution and not part of the problem. Help me to be a beacon of hope because You rescued me.

Amen