shaymags308 wrote:So this verse hit me hard. I've been struggling with a lot of things over the past year, and in every way I feel like I'm being attacked. In verse 12 it says, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution". I cried when I read this. Most people hear persecution and think about the people going against them, but sometimes the hardest part of our lives is the spiritual battle. Satan is constantly throwing new attacks, trying to get to our hearts. We have a target on our foreheads and over our hearts. And I keep getting frustrated because I keep falling back into old ways and thinking, especially when I'm determined to get out of it once and for all. The hardest battles are fought when we're trying to leave behind old sin, and it's when we need fellow Christians the most...
So, I don't know if you answer these, Kevin, but my one question is, what can you say to a young teenager (me) who's trying to fight her way out after a year of depression and multiple types of self-harm?
Thank you if you answer this
-Shannon
Hey Shannon! I'm gonna jump in here because I have been in your shoes...I'm still in your shoes in many ways.
I'm 33 now, and I've been fighting depression since high school. I was addicted to self harm through cutting for several years of high school and college. I've fought other addicted like alcohol and drugs...I quit drinking in July 2015 for good finally.
The first thing I would tell you is yes it is a fight, BUT ITS WORTH IT!! You know, hope is always with you because God is always with you! Hope can not be taken away from you by this world because it is based in the eternal promises of God. And this hope is even better because IT WILL be fulfilled one day because God promised Eternity for his children after this world! All the suffering we deal with here is temporary. its a blink compared to eternity! so even if you suffer from birth until death, its still temporary! So all you have to do is keep up the fight a little while longer and keep hold of God and don't give up, and heaven is yours forever!
But why do we suffer? I know why I have suffered....so I could sit here and tell you that I've been through it all and I'm still here and still faithful, and you can get through this too!
Depression is something we have to just fight, and its REALLY HARD to fight! Depression is telling you to give up, lay down and die. Its telling you to stop doing all those things we love and avoid all those people who care about you. And its feeding lies into our heads and poisoning us. The best thing you can do is fight against it. Keep doing those things you love even if you don't want you. Keep getting out and seeing friends and family. Keep getting up. Keep going. Even if its hard, and even if it takes everything in you, keep going.
When it comes to self harm...I know how hard it is to quit, believe me. The last time I relapsed that feeling that I was going to have to say no and drop it again felt awful. You've never lost the choice to say no. I know when we get lost in addiction we get poisoned into thinking we can't say no, but we never lost the choice to say no. its just become really really really hard to say no. I absolutely believe you can beat this and get through this, and I always will believe in you.
A relapse doesn't take away your amazing progress, don't ever forget that! Relapses are a part of the process, we all fall down along the way. The important part isn't how few or many times your relapse....the important is that you get back up EVERY SINGLE TIME you fall down. You have to get back up each time and keep going.
So yeah, I've been there, you're not alone here! This is a fight you can win, I know it! God knows it too

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With hammer in hand, I began to pull out every nail. Every board I placed beside me on the damp ground. After many years of pouring everything I could into avoiding that way, I found myself walking there once again.
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