Energy is imparted to the soul by searching its pages.”(7) She also "learned that support from family and friends can be invaluable," and "recommended the benefits of outdoor activity, gardening, enjoying nature, and simply praising God."(8) How did Ellen White combat thoughts of doubt and depression? She turned to the Bible and its accounts of Elijah, David, Paul and Jesus, each of whom had their own crises and "dark moments"(6) She stated, “If the Bible were read more, if its truths were better understood, we should be a far more enlightened and intelligent people. I am determined to bring all the sunshine into my life that I possibly can.”(5) I am sometimes greatly perplexed to know what to do, but I will not be depressed. In a letter to Elder Haskell in her retirement years, Ellen White wrote this personal counsel on how to deal with thoughts of depression, “ Do not be discouraged and disheartened. At other times, she described how the painful loss of her three-month-old child, John Herbert, brought on a "despondency and gloom settled upon me."(4) She would encounter other losses in her life, not least the passing of her beloved husband and co-worker, James. Some of these were related to her sensitivity over issues in the church. But she also experienced depressed feelings in times of good health. Loughborough, "the depression, the heavy weight, was lifted from my aching heart," she wrote.(2)Įllen understood that her lifelong health struggles, related to the near-fatal accident(3) she endured at age 9, had an effect on her emotional state. … I had no desire to live, therefore I could not take hold of faith and pray for my recovery," she recounted.(1) But following prayer by pioneering ministers J.N. "For years I have been afflicted with dropsy and disease of the heart, which has had a tendency to depress my spirits and destroy my faith and courage. If anyone knew the depths of despair-as well as the aid and counsel of God in its midst-Ellen White would be among those who could claim both experiences.
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