Whose pain we see

I give thanks to my Father in heaven.  He says to thank Him in the good times and the bad.  Not for a moment have I sunk into a depression over the change of plan from Korea to Kroondal.  It is things such as these that do not depress me.  I have come to learn that depression is very much related to a mental state of mind.  

People dealing with depression often talk about their feelings as the overarching determining factor of their sadness.  I find depression is often linked with a low sense of self-worth and self-esteem, fears, worries, guilt, and lack.  When I say lack, I refer mostly to a lack of fulfillment, a lack of purpose, or a lack of direction.  Depression is a mindset that is strongly intertwined with a sense of helplessness and hopelessness of one's current situation or circumstance.  

So, having suffered a car accident and dealing with the consequences thereof has not led me at all into a state of depression, but a sense of purpose.  After all, it didn't affect my self-esteem in a negative way.  If anything, this accident has given my friends an opportunity to reveal to me that I am worth their time and effort.  It has greatly encouraged me.  

I will be able to walk again, and there won't be any long-term effects on my body, the doctor said, so my fears disappeared, and when all material things were removed from my life, I felt free instead of burdened.  Not having been the perpetrator, guilt did not enter my soul either, and having God in my life was surely the best hold I could have had during this time, to think of forgiveness rather than anger, understanding that He is a Healer, and He restores my joy regardless of my circumstances, and He has a plan already worked out for me.  

When the locals in Kroondal told me they had fervently been praying for a German teacher to replace Uta Nel, and they made me feel so welcome, I was ecstatic and felt like an answered prayer.  Wow!  Dare I say that?  

The point is that people often feel sorry for you when you have broken bones, but far greater pain is experienced inside our souls for which we need far greater solace.  I am not at all saying, don't worry about the sick and hurt, for it is a great encouragement to those that are, but rather that I have realised how much we need each other.  Sometimes we can't see someone's pain, but that person needs TLC just as much as someone whose pain we see.