…Weeping may last through the night, but joy
comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5
Why do women love sad movies? It’s not a good chick flick unless it’s
got a good sad scene in it.
Science facts about sadness:
Women seem to be more associated with sadness than
men. Studies reveal that
depression is more prevalent in women, in fact-in white women in the US, and
more studies are being conducted comparing sadness and anger, which is more
associated with men.
While fear was easy to trace through the brain
functions, sadness is not.
Actually, both happiness and sadness looks similar when looking at a brain
scan. Both light up the brain considerably,
revealing that many parts of the brain are taking part in producing these
feelings. And as with fear, these
feelings have a purpose but one that is not as easily grasped. One reason may be simply the building
of memories that will help us later in life. We have often heard of life lessons and we fall back on
these to help us to repeat or not repeat actions in order to gain that happy feeling
that we remember or avoid that sad feeling. Another reason is more tied to the emotions we call love or
compassion because sadness can help you to connect with other people. When you feel sadness and it helps you
to remember past events in your own relationships, you can better understand
how others feel, get a sense of your own value to others, or gain inspiration
to repair relationships. This may explain why these emotions of happy and sad
look so similar on a brain scan. There’s a lot going on during these emotions.
The logic
follows that people who are happy as clams are wholly content with their
current situation. Consequently, they don't have as much internal drive to
climb the ladder to success.
Consider the
protective effects of fear. It jolts us into action to get out of the way of danger
and avoid predators. Although fear isn't a pleasant sensation, without it, we'd
be far more vulnerable to injury and harm. Likewise, a touch of sadness shakes
us up a bit and encourages progress. A study conducted by finance scholars at
Duke University demonstrated this practical advantage. It found that the most
optimistic people make poor financial planners; banking on a sunny future, they
overspend.
Interestingly, the parts of the brain playing the
most significant role are those that are familiar to us from last week—
· The
thalamus, collecting sensory data (eyes, ears, etc.)
· The
amygdala, decoding emotions and
· The
hippocampus,
Most studies about the emotion of sadness focus on
the hippocampus, which didn’t get much attention last week. Let’s take a closer look at its
function. Its job is making
decisions using combined information from emotions and sensory data, and stores
conscious memories and it was responsible for really thinking through that
feeling of fear and shutting down the responses if necessary. The key function as we talk about
sadness is that storing up of conscious memory to be used later.
The hippocampus works using both neurons (nerve
cells-the electrical part of us) and neurotransmitters (hormones). We all know that hormones have gotten a
bad “rap”, being blamed for any type of moodiness a woman feels, but this is
based in reality.
For the hippocampus to function in a healthy way,
there must be constant production of new nerve cells and the right concentration
of hormones between these nerve cells. Our nerve cells are constantly producing
and absorbing these hormones to keep the flow of energy/electricity/messages
moving, so fluctuations in these hormonal levels definitely affects one’s
emotions as well as clarity of thought and body function. A body that gets
enough sleep and exercise, eats the right amount of healthy foods, and is
without injury or illness, is able to produce and regulate these nerve cells
and hormones and keep senses, learning, movements and moods working
properly. But any problem in any
of these areas can affect someone’s mood, often resulting in feeling too sad,
too often.
There are many ideas on how to manage feelings of
overwhelming sadness.
The Bible supports this--
Genesis 40:7
And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's
house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?
Romans 12:15
Take part in the joy of those who are glad, and in the grief
of those who are sorrowing.
A counselor
will advise us to take time to be sad, talk about it, examine it---
Luke 24:18
Then stopping, and looking sadly at him, one of
them, named Cleopas, said to him, Are you the only man living in Jerusalem who
has not had news of the things which have taken place there at this time?
The whole book of Job supports this.
Matthew
6:16
And when you go without food, be not sad-faced as
the false-hearted are. For they go about with changed looks, so that men may
see that they are going without food. Truly I say to you, They have their
reward.
But sometimes these just don’t work. Sometimes the problem seems bigger than
the simple solutions. Most of the
time, this is truly a physical problem in the brain.
· The brain
is not producing enough nerve cells so they are having trouble communicating
the needed information,
· the nerve
cells are not producing enough neurotransmitters so the messages are not
getting started, or
· the nerve
cells are not reabsorbing the neurotransmitters so the messages are not getting
stopped.
And these physical problems may need physical
solutions. But there are other things that can help as well, and that is what we
are here to talk about.
Several words kept coming up in my research and
readings—insecurity and uncertainty, unworthy and self-critical. These words are something to look into and consider for each individual. These feelings can lead to depression. And depression can feel like bondage. Beth Moore compares this kind of bondage to the Israelites in the wilderness, in her book Believing God.
She tells us that believing IN God is not the same as
believing God. Believing IN God equals eternity in heaven and happened in the past tense to secure you in the future tense. Believing God equals heaven on earth or that special peace that
passes understanding. Believing God happens in the present tense to secure you in the present tense. She tells us that depression is one of “Satan’s ploys to destroy your
life, your witness, and your fruitfulness.” (Moore, Believing God-p.15) So, we're talking about closing the gap between our theology
and our reality. That takes lots of faith and those with
faith have that power to “lighten their hearts”-
Consider Ephesians 1:18-20-
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.
Can you imagine any situation needing more power than raising someone from the dead? God is the God of mighty power. And notice this--the words know and believe are not past tense. They are present tense and they must be continual if power is to come from them.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.
Can you imagine any situation needing more power than raising someone from the dead? God is the God of mighty power. And notice this--the words know and believe are not past tense. They are present tense and they must be continual if power is to come from them.
The biggest help to me is when I remember and
believe the third statement of faith from Believing God.
God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
Today's faith statement to get us through our times of sadness is…..
I am who God says I am,
not the whispers of doubt that make me
feel unworthy, but the many times in the Bible that tell me that no matter
what, God declares me worthy of His love and care. Beth Moore gives us 6 words that emphasize just how
important we are to God—blessed, chosen,
adopted, favored, redeemed, and forgiven. These come from Ephesians 1—
"3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with
every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose
us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his
sight. In love 5heb
predestined us for adoption to
sonshipc
through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his
glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with
the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,"
She says it best when she says, “If I’m convinced that God really loves me and
has certain priorities for me that may take precedence at times, then I am
“safe” to walk by faith. I am
freed to know that my God is huge and my God is able and that if I don’t get
what I asked, if I’ll cooperate, I’ll get something bigger. I’m going to believe Him to do anything
His Word says He can, then if He chooses not to, I don’t have to assume…
·
He doesn’t like me.
·
He doesn’t answer my prayers like He does others;
·
He hardly knows I’m alive.
·
He can’t do it.
·
He’s never willing to do it
·
I didn’t have enough faith.
·
I wavered for a split second.
·
I have … sin in my past.
·
I’m a failure
·
I’ve made a fool of myself.
Instead, I get to know that a greater yes is in
progress, and I can count on the bigger miracle.” (BM, BG, p. 80-81)
May the mighty God, who can do all things, assure you that you are who He says you are. May you believe Him. May you believe in yourself and leave the sadness of uncertainty and insecurity behind. You have God in your heart and in your corner. DO NOT listen to Satan or the world when you are thinking about your value, your purpose, or your worth. Listen to God.
"Thank you mighty God, for loving us, for choosing us, for blessing us, for assuring us that we are your children and we are worth it. Help us to live up to your plans for our lives. Amen."
Resources:
“12 Surprising Causes of Depression.” Health. Retrieved on November 30, 2013 from http://www.health.com/health/gallery/thumbnails/0,,20515167,00.html
Chaplinblinks. "25 Best Christmas Scenes #7: The Santa Clause." Uploaded on Dec. 9, 2011. Retrieved on Nov. 30, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpzB4ubEqIE
May the mighty God, who can do all things, assure you that you are who He says you are. May you believe Him. May you believe in yourself and leave the sadness of uncertainty and insecurity behind. You have God in your heart and in your corner. DO NOT listen to Satan or the world when you are thinking about your value, your purpose, or your worth. Listen to God.
"Thank you mighty God, for loving us, for choosing us, for blessing us, for assuring us that we are your children and we are worth it. Help us to live up to your plans for our lives. Amen."
Resources:
“12 Surprising Causes of Depression.” Health. Retrieved on November 30, 2013 from http://www.health.com/health/gallery/thumbnails/0,,20515167,00.html
Chaplinblinks. "25 Best Christmas Scenes #7: The Santa Clause." Uploaded on Dec. 9, 2011. Retrieved on Nov. 30, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpzB4ubEqIE
Craenen,
Mark. "Sound of Music-My Favorite Things." Uploaded on August 2, 2010.
Retrieved on Nov. 30, 2013 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikpj24WMOLw
"Depression." The New York Times Healthguide. Retrieved on November 30, 2013 from http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/depression/overview.html
"Harry Dances With Hermione" Harry Potter. Published on Oct. 25, 2012. retrieved on Nov. 30, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejQDwjP_LVU
Layton, Julia. "How Fear Works"
13 September 2005. HowStuffWorks.com.
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/fear.htm> retrieved on 23
November 2013.
Miller, Michael. "Sad Brain, Happy Brain," Newsweek, September 12, 2008, 8:00 pm. Retrieved on November 30, 2013 from http://www.newsweek.com/sad-brain-happy-brain-88455
Moore, Beth. Believing God. Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2004.
Movielinks.
"Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (6/10) MovieCLIP-Buck Up, Mister (2001) HD".
Published on March 2, 2012. Retrieved on Nov. 30, 2013 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYMQZsZUxeA
Online Parallel Bible. http://biblehub.com, retreived on Nov. 23, 2013
Shakti, Tara. "Biological Purpose of Sadness", eHow health, retrieved on Nov. 30, 2013 from http://www.ehow.com/facts_5657703_biological-purpose-sadness.html#ixzz2ZKbKwFgx
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