False Values and Love, Too
Maybe fears or depressions are caused by big mistakes in life. A person failed at a job or a marriage or something else. What's wrong with admitting you made a mistake, facing the fact that you're not perfect? No other mortal is either. False human pride, that's what! Satan and misguided human social values, under Satan's sway, have pumped pride into human minds, rather than humility and the willingness to admit mistakes in our lives. One can learn from mistakes and still go on and grow in the future.
Never have so many wrong ideas about love set so many up for the lack of love and depression.
"I can't live without you." "There's no one else meant for me." "Only you can fulfill my dreams," go modern love songs by the hundreds. It's not true!
There's more than one person you can learn to love. And misused sex does not mean love. It may mean unwanted children, or the horrid memory of an abortion or a disastrous marriage, or an abused or diseased body, a scarred mind.
Most humans learn to live first and foremost in the fear of the values and opinions of other men and women — most of which are wrong — rather than in any fear of God.
It is not that respect of others' feelings or opinions, or that of a high human office, may not be important to consider. But it does matter what one's real hope and confidence is.
Scripture warns, "The fear of man brings a snare" — all kinds of seemingly insoluble or inescapable problems — "but whoso puts his trust in the Lord shall be [spiritually, and often physically, emotionally and monetarily] safe" (Proverbs 29:25).
But why does nearly every human differ in his fears? Why do we each respond to various losses or setbacks in life in different ways and for different reasons? Let's understand.
Different Breaking points
Each of us, because of different upbringing, experiences or cultural learning, have acquired different levels of resilience or ways of responding to different kinds of problems, losses or setbacks in life.
Every human has his or her learned optimum values, hopes and resources in life. Jesus called them "your treasure" where your heart will be, and also "the light of the body" (Matthew 6:21, 22). They are the things one focuses and depends upon to give purpose, identity, self-worth and security in life.
You need to be aware what your real treasure, hopes and values are! Many of them may be wrong values, desires or feelings planted in your mind by Satan or learned from your culture, which has been cut off from God and his ways.
Humans cut off from God establish different and usually false values, ideals and hopes, and possess varying physical, emotional and spiritual resources to achieve them. They consequently establish different breaking points if their hopes or resources fail.
A person may or may not be aware of his or her breaking point or points. People are not always aware of the limitations of their resources. They are pushed into the subconscious mind or denied. For many, of course, the breaking point or resources have never been tested.
The breaking point, or failure of resources, that triggers fear, hopelessness or depression may be one thing for one person, something else for another.
One person's breaking point may be failing to achieve or maintain a certain financial status in life. For another it is the loss of, or not being able to have, a certain friend or mate.
Another's breaking point is not receiving or keeping a certain job or position in life. Another's is loss of health, or the prospect of death.
Another's is loss of physical attractiveness or beauty. Another's is loss of certain material possessions; another's is loss of children or something that happens to them.
It is not wrong to want to be loved. It is not wrong to enjoy a respectable status or possessions or to gain reasonable security for ourselves and our children. They are right and good if gained in accordance with God's laws, if one is able to afford them and use them properly.
But Jesus taught, "Is not life" — that is, the ultimate purpose of life — "more than food, and the body more than clothing?" (Matthew 6:25).
Jesus taught there is a purpose to your life that transcends physical life. All good gifts or opportunities in this physical life — human, material or other gifts — are temporary. They are but tools to be used to achieve something higher and eternal, the real purpose of one's existence — developing Godly character!
This true purpose of life is so enormous and important that Jesus taught us not to fear what men may do to us for obedience to his ways, for the most they can do is destroy physical life, not the opportunity to receive eternal life.
Good physical possessions or opportunities should be appreciated and cared for while they last. But they are not forever. They are not the end-all, the be-all purpose of life in themselves.
But all of us misguided human beings have, at some time or another, made them so!
When we allow wrong, selfish or negative ways of thinking to take root in our mind — jealousy, envy, covetousness, lust or hate, for instance — we violate the spiritual laws of peace of mind revealed in the Ten Commandments. We commit idolatry and other sins that automatically produce problems and fears we may not have resources to solve.
Sin, the transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4), focuses our minds on false desires, false values, wrong wants, hopes and ways of thinking. We lose focus on God's values and ways to secure our needs. We lose focus on God's spiritual resources and power to help us. We trust in our way and resources. And when we realize our thinking, hopes and resources are insufficient, or have failed, we fall prey to fear and depression.
Why Near-hopelessness Ahead?
Never have so many millions totally set their hearts, affections and sense of personal worth on persons, material possessions or sensual pleasures that can be suddenly swept away in an accident, in economic turmoil or natural disasters.
At the same time, never have the results of Satan's ways in human lives and nations — war, sickness, economic instability, family breakdown, crime and violence — so jeopardized all the temporary things and dreams that humans have put their trust and hope in!
You need to stop and ask what are the most important values in your life. What are true and lasting values anyway?
It is not surprising that more and more youths as well as adults are emotionally unstable, without a clear and dynamic purpose or hope in life. They see futility and trouble ahead in the world, even in the most materially prosperous cultures.
They do not see the wonderful World Tomorrow soon to be set up on earth by Jesus Christ — that's Good News or Gospel ("gospel" means good news) he brought to man nearly 2,000 years ago. How many humans are focusing their attention on and preparing themselves to take a vitally needed role in that soon coming age that will put a stop to world evils? That is a hope worth preparing for though all else — including your own physical life — fails in this age!
Lack of this kind of dynamic purpose and hope is why so many seek escape from the seemingly insoluble problems of their lives or of this age in drugs or alcohol — or suicide!
Isn't it time you captured true values that would prevent problems before they arise? Isn't it time you tapped the ultimate resources to handle problems and challenges in your life? They're in your Bible. It reveals the answers you've been looking for.