I’ve been thinking about this post for quite some time, never quite sure when, whether, or how I should share my thoughts. It’s pretty personal. Maybe too much, especially for those who care for me. But I’ve seen and read a lot the last couple of weeks which have made me feel I should just do it, so here goes. I hope I make sense.

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know I suffer from depression. Sometimes, like now, it’s on the mild end and it doesn’t really impair my functioning. Subject to my physical health, I can give talks, lessons, presentations, go home teaching, or do myriad other things that I’ve always done over the years. People can treat me, well, normally. Indeed, just like they have for the best part of the 48 years of my life thus far. Really. I’m okay.

At other times, it gets bad… like, really bad.

Some time ago, I was praying about someone. The individual was in a pretty bad place with their own depression and I wanted to help if I could. And as I was praying, the very clear impression came to me that I should read what I’ll call “the destruction chapters” of 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon. These are the chapters that describe what happened amongst the peoples of the Book of Mormon at the time Jesus died upon the cross in Jerusalem and, you guessed it, there was lots of destruction across the land.

I thought that was a pretty weird thing to go and read, but again the prompting came, so I finished my prayer, opened my Book of Mormon to 3 Nephi 8, and started to read. I was blown away, because it matched perfectly my own experience of depression. Continue reading →