A little more than two years ago I found myself without a job and mourning the loss of a loved one. During this time I decided to devote myself to reading all of Mary Baker Eddy’s writings to get a clearer idea of God, and man as God’s expression, though the depression was so difficult to cope with that sometimes I just hated even being alive.
One night, feeling alone and overwhelmed with memories of the injustices I thought I’d suffered, a Bible passage came to me very clearly: “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal” (II Cor. 10:4). There’s more to it, but that piece of it struck me. I realized I was in a mental battle, but instead of fighting, I was just letting the bad thoughts of depression, loss, and loneliness pummel me. So in pondering that passage, I asked God to tell me what weapon I could use to fight these thoughts.
The answer came: gratitude. I had never thought of gratitude as a weapon but decided to give it a try. As many of those who have suffered from depression know, gratitude is very hard to produce when in that state of mind, but I started small. A short time later, when I took a shower, I realized I was grateful for the hot water that came right out of the tap.
