A meditation and prayer companion for Christians who struggle with depression.
The stigma around mental illness in our culture has had a damaging effect on those who suffer from its grip. As a priest and bishop, Hirschfeld has quietly and secretly been in treatment for depression for decades but now shares his own experience publicly. In this book, he offers short meditations, prayers, and suggestions of how one can follow and call upon Jesus for strength and peace during times of emotional upheaval.
Christians often feel that their experience of depression or mental illness is a reflection of a deficit in their faith. As a result of seeing depression as a moral shortcoming or spiritual failure, we risk more damage to ourselves and even hurt those around us by denying what is really going on. This book, with its prayers and practical suggestions for spiritual and creative practices and resilience, can be a companion for those who suffer so that they may know more deeply the resilient love of Jesus.
A poignant and deeply honest reflection on how it feels to live with depression, I found this book truly gripping in its raw power and heartfelt reflections, and deeply admire the author's ability to move past the stigmas normally associated with both depression and mental illness in general. More powerful still, however, is the ultimate message of hope: that there are ways of coping with depression and a path forward, and the real, genuine advice offered to these ends are certainly invaluable.