The undertaker was obviously pleased with the funeral service I took a fortnight ago, as he has asked me to take another. This time it will be a short committal service in a country cemetery. This is a beautiful place surrounded by pasture land with a river running through and a hill in the near distance. A young women has died suddenly, in her 50's.The relatives are simple country folk who need to know their daughter is respected at this time. I hope that the words I say will give them some comfort in their loss. As I said in my previous post this is a position of great privilege to be near a family in their extreme grief.
It is not a time for deciding how the departed stands in relation to God. God is holy and just, good and merciful, only he knows the secrets of our hearts. We are there to declare that Jesus is the resurrection and the life and leave the Spirit to apply those words to the hearts of those present.
There are two main types of depression, reactive, which is a reaction to your circumstances and endogenous, which is a part of your makeup and not entirely affected by your circumstances. I get the second type. When I am depressed I like to sleep a lot, this is probably not a good thing as depression can lift if you do not have extra sleep. It is all very well knowing that , but acting upon it is another thing. Exercise is also beneficial. Some sorts of depression can be lifted by taking these measures, but some people need medication. You need to get to know your doctor and develope a relationship with him/her where you feel you can trust their judgement. Do look for help as there are lots of possibilities out there. It is not good to spend long stretches of time on your own. Talking with other people will often help lift your spirits, especially if they are people who have gone through this experience themselves. Maybe you need to join a self help group. Avoid people who tell...
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