Act As If

Earlier this week I read a post about practical tips to follow if you suffer from depression. It was not filled with platitudes like “there is always a silver lining” or “smell the roses” or even worse “cheer up”. Saying these things implies that the person who finds themselves in the depths of despair is simply “doing it wrong” and can actually make them feel worse.

This post didn’t have trivial advice. It said things like, get dressed.

This post said things like, look out a window and know that 1 in 5 people that you see are suffering too. This post said things like, avoid fictional drama – what is happening on Grey’s Anatomy simply doesn’t matter.

Practical advice indeed. One cannot just snap themselves out of the depths caused by depression. But sometimes, those of us who suffer from depression and who have experienced the greyness of a sunny day and the isolation of a crowded room, can help ourselves by “acting as if”.

In today’s Gospel reading the people say to Jesus come on, tell us once and for all who really are. Enough of these metaphors - tell us who you are and what you expect of us. It is not accidental that the scene is set at the Portico of Solomon. This wise man who settled a disagreement between two women over a baby, Solomon was and is the prime illustration of justice. By setting the scene in the shadow of the Portico’s dedicated to the example of justice and the Wisdom of Solomon, the author of John’s Gospel is already telling us who Jesus is and what he expects of us.

I saw a great bumper sticker that said “If you love Jesus seek justice – any idiot can honk”.

So what if you can’t believe in Jesus? What about those times when you feel separated from the flock and don’t experience the guiding hand of the Shepherd? What about your friends who get caught up in the minutia of the tenants of faith and therefore dismiss the whole “religion” thing? What about those folks who declare that they are “spiritual but not religious? And what about those times in our own lives when we ourselves experience the absence of Jesus and the lack of the Holy Spirit?

Well, what if we tried to act as if?

Act as if we understand what Jesus meant when he said “I am the Bread of Life” and join with the community as we share in communion so that you feel fed both in body and spirit?

Act as if we comprehend what Jesus meant when he said “I am the Shepherd” and allow ourselves to become part of the flock that journeys together. A flock which supports one another and seeks fairness?

Act as if we grasp what Jesus meant when he said “I am the Light of the World” and see the illumination of God’s love in everyone we meet.

And what if we acted as if we truly understand what Jesus wants for us – to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God?

Perhaps if we do these things, perhaps if in our depths of despair or in our journey through the valley, we acted as if we truly believe and understand what Jesus said, may be then we could come once again to feel his presence.

When I advise people who are suffering from depression to smile it is not because by doing so they will magically feel better. The advice, which may seem arbitrary and trivial, can change how the world reacts to them. When you smile – even when it feels fake – people will begin to smile back at you. The mood of those around you will be improved and – may be – that will lead you to incorporate some of those good feelings into yourself. May be you will begin to feel that you are not alone in a crowded room in incapable of ascending from the darkness.

The same goes for when you find yourself uncertain about your faith or unsure of God’s presence. Like one can put a smile on in an attempt to ascend from the depths, what if you try putting on the cloak of God’s presence and love? Perhaps you’ll find that the world reacts to you in a positive, present, inclusive and loving way.

Act as if. Act as if God is with you.

Act as if Jesus the great Shepherd is guiding you.

Act as if the world is loving place. Act as if you know that you’re not alone.

Act as if you can actually fulfill God’s desire to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

 © Tara Livingston, 2013