Quote:
Originally Posted by rgcraig
I do not think the joy of the Lord is an emotion.
With that said if the Joy of the Lord is assurance that God hasn't left, then that's where I would struggle thinking that one can be depressed (clinically) and have the joy of the Lord.
People that are clinically depressed, even though it can be a chemical imbalance, usually do not have a feeling of assurance or that everything is going to be okay. They feel hopeless......how can you have the joy of the Lord and feel hopeless?
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You are confusing what comes from the Spirit of God with what happens to us physically.
This is no different than stating that you cannot understand how someone can have the joy of the Lord yet have heart disease.
Hopelessness can be a symptom, but not necessarily.
Maybe it's because of my nursing background that I can see a difference in what is commonly believed and what is actually fact.
In addition, when meds are used, they typically aren't depressed or have those feelings. The meds are working, but without them, they still have the problem. It's also no different than other ailments in which meds are used for control, and while the disease is real, they may not exhibit symptoms while on the meds.
Hope I'm not talking over anyone's head, and I'm trying not to do that, but help some of you gain an understanding of this problem that effects so many, even those who have the joy of the Lord.
Lastly, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. But aren't there times when we don't exhibit these fruit? Does this mean we don't have fruit of the Spirit if we lack any one of these at any given time? Interesting questions to ponder, even for myself. One only needs to look around this forum to find what's lacking in us all. Sadly, there is no pill to cure our humanity.
But I digress....
This conversation is interesting to me.
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