BEING MISUNDERSTOOD

I struggle with depression, but depression does not define who I am. Actually, it is just a tool that God has used greatly in my life to make me into a great person. God always takes the weak and makes them great. My friend was reminding me of that today - God doesn't bring greatness out of the strong and mighty, but out of weak places. God uses the weak things of the world to shame the wise. The weaker parts of the Body are indespensible. His Word is full of the fact that weakness = ones he uses, in his economy. One of my dear friends was telling me tonight that she knew I struggled with depression long before we became friends, and she was afraid to get to know me because she had a pre-conceived notion of what depression looked like. But now that she knows me, first of all its not that way at all, and second of all, I am a "jewel of a friend" to her, and that is largely because of who God has shaped me to be, through my struggles. Isn't God really neat?? Another thing, when I am misunderstood, I don't need to defend myself, because the Holy Spirit is my Advocate, and does a much better job than I could do! Besides, the Spirit knows how to speak in terms of God's ways.