Tonight, Kristen Jane Anderson shares the things she wished she knew before making a destructive decision that nearly cost her life. Her book, Life In Spite of Me, can be found here.
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I wish I knew… by Kristen Jane Anderson
1. The Gospel. Having grown up in church much of my life, I never heard what it meant to have a relationship with God.
2. Depression – how common it can be, as well as the triggers, the signs, and how easy it is to fall into a depression.
3. I was suicidal. I thought about things normal people wouldn’t think about.
4. My mom and even some of my friends didn’t have it all together or figured out.
5. Isolation breeds depression.
6. I didn’t have to keep so much of the stress and pain I was feeling to myself. I especially wish I would have shared it with my parents.
7. My parents weren’t trying to hurt me at all. They just wanted to help me.
8. It wasn’t my job to protect my parents.
9. There were really good youth groups at churches nearby that I would have enjoyed being a part of.
10. It would get better, that it always does, and that God had really good things planned ahead of me. (Jeremiah 29:11)
11. God was near, that He cared about me more than I could have ever imagined (even about the little things), and He seriously wanted a relationship with me.
12. The blessing of the body of Christ, the friends, the leaders, and the music. I didn’t know what I was missing
13. Although Jesus had never sinned, He could sympathize with my weaknesses. (Hebrews 4:15)
14. Jesus didn’t come for the healthy. He came for the sick. (Mark 2:17)
15. The power of God, the Bible, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
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