The cruel hands of depression tend to choke out every color except black and white. We desperately want help and so we fly from fix to fix—hoping that one thing will cure it all. When they fail we discard them entirely.
The truth, though, is that the painful grip of depression is relaxed one finger at a time. It’s in the increments where healing happens. There is no panacea. We reject little helps to our peril.
Spurgeon’s Sorrows by Zack Eswine is no panacea. I doubt you’ll read this book and immediately be cured of melancholy. But I am confident that in reading this book you’ll be introduced to a new friend. One who has “been in the dark dungeon [and] knows the way to the bread and the water” (81).
For those struggling with depression and assuming they are confined to the sidelines because of their mental health, Spurgeon’s example should serve as a great encouragement. Spurgeon knew what to do when the lights were on. And after awhile he knew how to take time off in the midst of darkness. We’ve much to learn here.
Eswine’s book is poetic and mercifully short. There are sentences and paragraphs throughout that are life-giving. The writing is compelling and the type of language which resonates with one in the pit. To this end I pray that many who are battling depression will read this book and hold onto these tiny morsels.
The book itself is divided into three parts. The first section is an attempt at helping us understand depression. The second section is for those who want to help someone dealing with depression—but its just as beneficial when that person you want to help is yourself. Lastly, the reader is offered a few helps to daily cope with depression.
For me personally, no chapter sticks out as the best chapter of the book. Instead it feels almost like reading a book of quotes. Different jewels will shine on different days. This is a book I’ll likely read again at a different season.
Patti Hawley noted in one of the book blurbs that “Zack gives language to the honest struggle of the weary”. That is an accurate assessment. Reading this book gave me words to speak. Words to help myself. And words to help others.
Whether you are struggling with depression yourself or living life with someone who does, I’m confident this book will be of help.
You can get it here.
