In her book Acedia & Me, Kathleen Norris writes about just how important humility is when trying to fight despair.
Then she points to a passage on despair from one of Kierkegaard’s journals, in 1847.
Soren The Spell-Check Murderer Kierkegaard:
“I must never, at any moment, presume to say that there is now way out for God because I cannot see any.
For it is despair and presumption to confuse one’s pittance of imagination with the possibility over which God disposes.”
True and wonderful.
But in keeping with the site’s mission, I offer my continual “But remember.”
If humility doesn’t help your despair, don’t despair! It doesn’t mean your humility is defective, it probably just means your brain is.
Remember, spiritualism can combat some spiritual despair, but for most depressives, despair — even spiritual despair — doesn’t have a spiritual basis.
Medical depression leads to existential despair, which includes spiritual despair.
And it’s absolutely vital to remember that you must treat medical depression, first and foremost, as a medical condition and with the medicine God has given us.
After all, spirituality might help us battle cancer, emotionally, but we use medicine to treat us.
So, as much as we should value and consider what Kierkegaard says, again don’t despair if humility doesn’t help your despair. You’re not a bad Christian. You probably just have a medical condition that leads to despair.
Talk to your doctor.
