** Please be aware: this blog post talks about suicide. If the topic is a difficult one for you, please proceed with caution. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please talk to someone. There is no shame in that!

One of the things I learned about Derry/Londonderry before I moved here is that there is a high rate of suicide in the city. Derry is divided by the Foyle River, and sadly, the Foyle claims too many lives each year. I have friends here who have joined teams walking the banks of the river searching for those who have given up on life.

Last week, I walked and prayed along a route that took me along both banks of the river, and across two of the three bridges that span the river and connect the city. As I walked, I prayed against depression and despair, and I declared that God’s love, grace, joy, hope, and fellowship would flow through this city like that river. I prayed the river would be seen as a picture of life and hope flowing through Derry instead of a place where too many lives have ended.

After walking and praying for several miles, I began to sense God changing the focus of my prayers. I felt I should spend the last part of the walk focusing on and speaking out things for which I am grateful. I realized that despair cannot remain where there is gratitude. As I focused on all the things I have, all that God has done and is doing in my life and in this city, hope began to rise and push out any heaviness I felt.

*To be clear, I was not feeling depression or despair as I prayed, but I could sense the weight others carry that leads to despair and the hopelessness that leads people to give up on life, and the grief of those left behind. I am doing pretty well here, and I don’t want the tone of this post to cause concern.*

As I praised God and felt weight lift from my shoulders, I realized that this truth is not just about times of depression, but for any time we feel weighed down by the cares of life. Gratitude and despair cannot coexist. As we focus on the good things we have, as we recognize the blessings God has given, hope for His promises and continued faithfulness begins to grow. Just as His perfect love casts out fear, hope in His promises and goodness overcomes despair.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not making light of depression or saying if a person counts their blessings each day, everything suddenly becomes rosy. There is no shame is seeking/receiving medical and psychological help and support, and many times, that is necessary.

As many of us move into winter, and the periods of sunlight shorten, some days the darkness may seem darker and longer than usual. In those days, let’s focus on God and the light and life He brings, and let’s do everything we can to share that light and life with those who may have trouble seeing it. Gratitude brings hope, and hope is stronger than despair.

What are you grateful for today?