Today, I have the honor of welcoming a guest, Dr. Michelle Bengtson, to share a few words about hope.
“I don’t
know if I can do this anymore. What if it never changes? What if things stay
this bad forever?” She pulled her sweatshirt sleeve down over her hand and
dabbed at the streak marks left on her cheeks from the cascade of tears that
had been flowing for several minutes before she added, “What if I don’t have
enough faith to get through this?”
I reached
over, took her spare hand in mine, and held it quietly for just a moment before
responding, “I know. I understand. I’ve been there before. Now that I’m on the
other side, you can borrow some of my hope while yours is weak. We’ll get
through this together.”
I could
offer to share my hope with this dear one because my well was full. I could
look back and see the faithfulness of God in my own valley of depression and
despair years before. Yet I remember feeling the same way, asking the same
questions.
I remember
the attacks of the enemy causing me to question and doubt what I knew to be
true, and wondering how I would ever make it not just another day, but
sometimes another five minutes.
The Lord
sent a friend across my path in His perfect way and in His perfect timing. I
remember thinking, “I’ve believed all my life, but what if my faith isn’t
enough to get me through this this time?”
God used
this friend to speak life and truth into the dry and discouraged places of my
heart. She reminded me of God’s promises:
v
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them,
for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake
you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
v
“You intended to harm me, but God
intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the
lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20).
v
“And we know that God causes
everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called
according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28).
v “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the
morning” (Psalm 30:5).
What I know is that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). In my despair, I had
lost my hope, and my emotional health had become sick, but as I began to see
God’s plan for me, it was like He breathed fresh air into me. Yet in the valley
of depression, we often feel like we are dying a very slow death.
Sometimes in the valley of our despair, we have to borrow
on others’ faith and hope while He restores our own. That restoration comes
when we identify the lies we have believed about ourselves and our situations
and replace them with God’s truth.
In my despair, I began to believe that my situation would
never change and that I was destined to remain in the valley forever. Once I
identified that lie and replaced it with God’s truth, my hope was renewed. God
promises, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans for a future and a hope” (Jeremiah
29:11). Whenever I became frightened or unsure of my future, I recited that
verse aloud, reminding myself of His promise, and restoring my hope.
Once my hope was restored, I was then able to comfort
others with the comfort He had given me (2 Corinthians 1:4), and let them
borrow my hope while theirs was lacking. And in time, they will be able to do
the same for others.
Who can you lend hope to today?
Dr. Michelle Bengtson (PhD, Nova Southeastern
University) has been a board certified neuropsychologist for over twenty years.
She interned at the University of Oklahoma with “The Father of
Neuropsychology,” Dr. Oscar “Oz” Parsons, and completed postdoctoral
training at both the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, and the
University of Alabama Health Sciences Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
Author
and speaker, Dr. Michelle Bengtson is also a wife, mother and friend. She knows
pain and despair firsthand and combines her professional expertise and personal
experience with her faith to address issues surrounding medical and mental
disorders, both for those who suffer and for those who care for them. She
offers sound practical tools, affirms worth, and encourages faith. Dr. Michelle
Bengtson offers hope as a key to unlock joy and relief—even in the middle of
the storm. She lives in Dallas/Fort
Worth with her husband, their two sons, and two dogs. Among her favorite things
are beaches, boating, and sea salt caramel.
She
blogs regularly on her own site: http://www.DrMichelleBengtson.com. Her book “Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through
Depression” (Revell publishers, August 16, 2016) is available for purchase
now: http://drmichellebengtson.com/hope-prevails-book/
For more hope, stay connected with her at:
To order Hope Prevails:
http://drmichellebengtson.com/hope-prevails-book/
Website: http://www.DrMichelleBengtson.com
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/DrMBengtson
(@DrMBengtson)
LinkedIn: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/DrMichelleBengtson
Google+:
http://www.google.com/+MichelleBengtson
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/drmichellebengtson
Pinterest: http://www.Pinterest.com/Drbhopeprevails
Neuropsychologist
Offers Hope to Those Struggling with Depression
-By
2020, depression will be our greatest epidemic worldwide
- An
estimated 350 million people worldwide suffer from some form of depression
- As
with the bestselling My Stroke of
Insight, the author experienced the same condition she treats
- Helpful
features include personal stories, biblical truths, prayers, and music
recommendations
As a board-certified neuropsychologist, Dr. Michelle Bengtson has
seen the devastation that people experience when depression sweeps into their
lives. She knew what research advocated in terms of the most effective
treatments and prescribed them to her clients. But when she personally
experienced to the ravages of depression, she found that the treatments she had
been using with her patients didn’t help her. As a result, her personal
experience became the catalyst for a more holistic approach to treating
depression in others.
In Hope Prevails, Dr.
Bengtson writes with deep compassion and empathy, blending her extensive
training and faith, to offer readers a hope that is grounded in God’s love and
grace. She helps readers understand what depression is, how it affects them
spiritually, and what, by God’s grace, it cannot do. The result is a treatment
plan that addresses the whole person—not just chemical imbalances in the brain.
For those who struggle with depression and those that want to help
them, Hope Prevails offers real hope
for the future.
“Catching Hope Word” image courtesy
of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
