How do I overcome the depression caused by a divorce?

[Susan Dunning]

Reader Question: How can I overcome the depression from being left by my husband for another woman? Please give some verses from the bible that would be my guide not to lose hope and to strengthen my faith.

Answer: Stay focused on the promises that God has given you for your life, you can get through this. Know that God takes care of us, it’s His job to handle the situation not ours. Our job is to forgive and seek godly counsel to get us through. Find somebody that has gone through what you are going through, but be choosy, choose someone who is victorious on the other side of the hurt.

God loves you and wants the best from you. I am divorced and so is my husband. My husband’s ex-wife had an affair and left him. He was devastated to say the least. But at the same time (the same month and year) his life was falling apart, my life changed as I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and began preparing my life to meet my husband 5 years later after we had healed and were on successful paths.

God just wants our faithfulness and obedience; by following Him we open the door to blessings beyond belief. Hold on to the blessings in your life. We can not control others’ choices we can control how we react to them and what we do with our life. Look around and find things to be thankful for. It’s hard to be depressed when we are thankful.

Luke 17:1-3
Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent,' you shall forgive him."

James 1:19-20 (Message) Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger.
Hebrews 12:13 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.


1 Peter 2:20
But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

The word overcome is a military term, it is not passive. In order to overcome you must take the gates of hell by storm. Don’t give up. When you have bad thoughts that attack your self-esteem remember that God created you for a purpose and promised life more abundantly! Stand firm!