Hello beloved child of God, I hope you’re fine by God’s grace.
Did you do your homework from yesterday?
Yesterday we talked about the link between self-blame and depression, and we gave a few tips on how to deal with self-blame, and how to identify your degree of responsibility in a specific event or situation.
Today, we’re going to talk about taking action.
If you did yesterday’s exercise, you probably noticed that you weren’t to receive 100% blame for all the negative events in your life.
Some people prefer blaming every body else for everything which is wrong in their lives. They do not want to take responsibility for what’s going on in their lives. This is not a good thing at all because when you refuse to recognize your own contribution to the problem, you will not be willing to work on yourself to fix it.
A depressed person will be so focused on saying “Woe to me, why does this always happen to me?” Instead of asking themselves “What can I do now?”
Self-blame usually leads to self-pity, and self-pity doesn’t usually produce results.
What you need to do is to ask yourself how you can get better, how you can create an action plan and take specific actions to fix the problem to the level at which you contributed to it.
Craig Hill usually says “If you do the natural, God will do the supernatural”.
When you do the natural thing (deciding to work on your own share of responsibility), God will do the supernatural (and change what seemed unchangeable).
We’re taking off from yesterday’s example, on the man(Thomas) whose wife cheated on him and left him for his “best friend”. He can’t change the divorce but he can work on himself concerning the areas in which he contributed to that situation so that by God’s grace he won’t make the same mistakes in the future.
This is what you have to do with self-blame. Realizing to which extent you are responsible, and taking action.
Perpetual lamentation won’t help.
Is this not what God’s Word is about. We don’t just have to know what’s wrong, we also have to apply God’s Word, to follow the lead of His Holy Spirit as He corrects us and teaches us to do what’s right.
It’s not just about acknowledging that we are sinners, it’s about receiving medication. Our medication is Jesus Christ. Once we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, through His Word and His Holy Spirit, He corrects us and makes us ameliorate ourselves.
James 1:22-25 NIV
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
Example: My Action Strategy
| My specific contributions to the problem | Specific Actions I Can Take |
| I was always busy with work. I was more available for my job and for my colleagues than for my spouse. I always refused to spend time with her whenever she asked, and I would tell her to spend time with Lucas instead. I didn’t see it coming | In my next relationship, I will have to make sure that I create time for her. I will also have to make sure that I don’t push her to draw closer to another man. I have to make sure that I guard her heart by not having male friends who are too close to her. |
| I gained 20 kg during our marriage. I wasn’t doing any sports anymore and I wasn’t taking care of my body, the complete opposite of Lucas | I have to start back taking care of my body. I will meet a dietician and plan a diet with her. I will also make sure to practice sports twice per week. It won’t change the divorce but it will help me feel better and it will help me to focus on my health |
| I had stopped communicating with her, we would spend days without discussing. Not because she didn’t want to but because I was always saying that I was busy | God willing, in my next relationship, I will have to pay attention to how we talk. I’ll have to ensure that we discuss frequently and that we solve problems in our relationship as soon as they come up. |
Now, when he puts his action plan in practice, he obviously feels better.
Exercise : Make Your Own Action Strategy
Get back to yesterday’s exercise, and use the example above to make your own action strategy table.
| My specific contributions to the problem | Specific actions I can take |
| ? | ? |
| ? | ? |
| ? | ? |
Prayer
Father Lord God Almighty, teach me to not only recognize my flaws but to also take action through Your Holy Spirit in order to ameliorate myself instead of spending my life lamenting. In Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen.
It’s Now Your Turn
Don’t forget to do your homework today.
What does your action plan look like? Please let us know in the comments section
Don’t forget to share this blog post on your social media accounts and to invite your friends and family members to join us as we’re waging war against depression. You may save a life by sharing.
If you’ve not done it yet, subscribe to my Newsletter so as not to miss any post on depression and also, make sure to invite anyone whom you know is suffering from depression.
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Invitation
Click here if you’re looking for a church. I recommend Elevation Church to you. A wonderful Christ-centered Church in which you aren’t limited by your location and in which you can see what God can do through you.
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God bless you
Victoria Eyog
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