It's risky to look at depression in a positive light. But this illness, which is the leading cause of disability worldwide, can also be an opportunity for growth. Light and life can be brighter and stronger if the spiritual roots of depression are addressed and resolved. Through her personal story, Sharon Fawcett reveals how.Discover how to help yourself, find victory in healing and hope, and look at spiritual warfare in a new way.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Emily
Format:Paperback
According to Statistics Canada, eight per cent of adult Canadians will experience depression at some point in their lives. Yet most of them, particularly if they're Christians, won't seek help for fear of being judged.
Sharon Fawcett's debut book, Hope for Wholeness, stems from a nine-year battle with depression in which the mother of two learned to embrace, and subsequently let go of her disease. As she writes, "I hope you will come to understand that depression is not an enemy trying to rob you of life but rather an opportunity for self-examination and spiritual growth."
Before she could get better, Fawcett says she had to erase the stigma associated with depression--that is, as a character flaw or weakness. "I thought that followers of Christ were supposed to live like walking billboards, advertising perfect, painless lives as the product of a relationship with Christ. I gave all I had to projecting the victorious image, but the truth was that deep inside I was one of the messy ones."
It was only after accepting who she truly was that Fawcett could begin to recover, with God as her helper.
"Many hope depression will pass," she writes. "They hope they'll be able to overcome it on their own by trying harder, thinking happier, praying longer. They hope God will see their suffering and choose to heal them. But hope is not a plan. Hope is important -- it's essential to surviving the illness -- but you need more. You need treatment. You need counsel. You need help."
Within the pages of this book Fawcett painstakingly details every leg of her journey with raw, emotion-filled stories. These personal anecdotes are intermingled with Scripture, examples of Biblical characters who battled depression, and inspirational stories meant to motivate and uplift the reader.
"I've experienced this miraculous transformation, though it was a long process and I needed a lot of help. It took the insight of a trained Christian counselor -- and divine illumination from the Holy Spirit -- for me to identify and renounce the lies that had held me in bondage for three decades. Be encouraged that if I can lose my baggage, you can too."
Review by Emily Wierenga, author of 'Save My Children--The story of a father's love.'
Sharon Fawcett's debut book, Hope for Wholeness, stems from a nine-year battle with depression in which the mother of two learned to embrace, and subsequently let go of her disease. As she writes, "I hope you will come to understand that depression is not an enemy trying to rob you of life but rather an opportunity for self-examination and spiritual growth."
Before she could get better, Fawcett says she had to erase the stigma associated with depression--that is, as a character flaw or weakness. "I thought that followers of Christ were supposed to live like walking billboards, advertising perfect, painless lives as the product of a relationship with Christ. I gave all I had to projecting the victorious image, but the truth was that deep inside I was one of the messy ones."
It was only after accepting who she truly was that Fawcett could begin to recover, with God as her helper.
"Many hope depression will pass," she writes. "They hope they'll be able to overcome it on their own by trying harder, thinking happier, praying longer. They hope God will see their suffering and choose to heal them. But hope is not a plan. Hope is important -- it's essential to surviving the illness -- but you need more. You need treatment. You need counsel. You need help."
Within the pages of this book Fawcett painstakingly details every leg of her journey with raw, emotion-filled stories. These personal anecdotes are intermingled with Scripture, examples of Biblical characters who battled depression, and inspirational stories meant to motivate and uplift the reader.
"I've experienced this miraculous transformation, though it was a long process and I needed a lot of help. It took the insight of a trained Christian counselor -- and divine illumination from the Holy Spirit -- for me to identify and renounce the lies that had held me in bondage for three decades. Be encouraged that if I can lose my baggage, you can too."
Review by Emily Wierenga, author of 'Save My Children--The story of a father's love.'
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
18 reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A refreshing look at depression
Nov 11 2008
By Candy Arrington
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Often, when I meet with prospective writers, they tell me a tale of woe, the story of something awful that happened in their lives that they now want to write about. When I met Sharon Fawcett, I immediately knew she was different. Not only was her writing excellent, but here was a woman who fought depression, triumphed, and wasn't still looking over her shoulder at the battlefield. Sharon didn't spend the fifteen-minute appointment telling me about her time in the abyss of depression. Her story centered on the spiritual path upward and out of the pit of despair. Her main desire was, and is, to help others find the way.
Hope for Wholeness is a non-clinical, refreshing, and honest look at the devastation caused by depression. But what sets this book apart is the positive light it sheds on this debilitating condition. In the pages of this book, the depressed, and those who love them, will find encouragement, truth, and most of all, hope.
Hope for Wholeness is a non-clinical, refreshing, and honest look at the devastation caused by depression. But what sets this book apart is the positive light it sheds on this debilitating condition. In the pages of this book, the depressed, and those who love them, will find encouragement, truth, and most of all, hope.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wise Insight From Someone Released From Depression
Oct 20 2008
By W. Terry Whalin
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Depression is a chronic problem which can catapult you into the world of the unknown. How do you escape and what if you were stuck in it for years? Author Sharon Fawcett knows the devastating effects of depression first and and for nine years struggled with it. In HOPE FOR WHOLENESS, Sharon combines her personal experiences with solid how-to information, encouragement from the Bible and inspirational stories.
As she writes on page 70, "Depression wounds families. It crushes the spirit, steals joy, and causes confusion. As the family becomes fractured, home is no longer a haven to retreat to for comfort but a wounded place filled with uncertainty and turmoil. Sometimes called silent victims, those who love someone with depression suffer every bit as much as the one with the illness but in different ways."
If you or someone you know is stuck in a vicious cycle of treatment for depression, you need HOPE FOR WHOLENESS. Sharon can show you the spiritual path that she found to freedom. I highly recommend this book and hope millions will use this book find release from the bondage of depression.
As she writes on page 70, "Depression wounds families. It crushes the spirit, steals joy, and causes confusion. As the family becomes fractured, home is no longer a haven to retreat to for comfort but a wounded place filled with uncertainty and turmoil. Sometimes called silent victims, those who love someone with depression suffer every bit as much as the one with the illness but in different ways."
If you or someone you know is stuck in a vicious cycle of treatment for depression, you need HOPE FOR WHOLENESS. Sharon can show you the spiritual path that she found to freedom. I highly recommend this book and hope millions will use this book find release from the bondage of depression.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Healing Read
Sep 26 2008
By James E. Robinson
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
"In Hope for Wholeness, Sharon L. Fawcett shares a great gift--a true-life story filled with transparency, courage, and, above all, grace This is a real-life journey through the darkness of depression and related disorders, told with a gentleness of spirit and firmness of personal conviction that lifts its eloquent message high above more didactic works on the subject. Fawcett's lean, unsentimental style draws us in, sits us down near a warm fire, and confidingly shares with us the soul-secrets of a true survivor. The most profound kind of healing always comes from those brave enough to return from battle, emotionally undress, and show us their ugly wounds. And by allowing us into this most private of places, Hope for Wholeness reflects the true face of the healing Christ."
James E. Robinson, founder of ProdigalSong Ministries and author of Prodigal Song: A Memoir, Coming Home to a Place Called Hope: A Journey for the Wounded Soul, and The Flower of Grass (a novel).
James E. Robinson, founder of ProdigalSong Ministries and author of Prodigal Song: A Memoir, Coming Home to a Place Called Hope: A Journey for the Wounded Soul, and The Flower of Grass (a novel).
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