I need to comment here. There is a problem when poor health takes away the meaning in life you once had. When the joy you once experienced in the work you had loved can no longer be found. When opportunities become limited because of disability. Such a situation can create greater depression than before.

I speak throughout this blog from 2006-2013 about Living Room, the peer support ministry I had founded and led for nine years. I speak too about how fulfilled I felt when I came alongside people suffering from depression. There were many and I never tired of supporting them. I felt God’s spirit within as I worked with them.

I have also spoken a number of times about the practice of other-centeredness that helped me cope with my frequent depressions. When I became depressed and self-centered, I tried to reverse that tendency by looking for ways to help others. But rejection and more serious mental ill health has removed Living Room from my life. Nor do individuals come to me anymore for support. There is a big hole in my life and although I still write in an effort to support others, the experience of meeting with a group and teaching them about Jesus is no longer available to me.

The memory of what once gave me “holy joy” now brings great sadness. Yes, good mental health would do much to help us find meaning.