Craig & Christine West
CBN.com –
CRAIG WEST
The death of Robin Williams created an opportunity for Craig West to share his own personal testimony with their listeners. Craig shared his own struggle explaining that he went through 10 years of clinical depression, even taking lithium. He explained depression as being, "a deep shadow without form, son intangible but so ridiculously real." There were people, not having experienced it before, not having an idea of what it really is like, telling Craig to "get over yourself…" and even someone telling him he needed to be delivered because he was possessed by a demon! Take it a step further, someone close to Craig accused him of being a narcissist. A boss once told him depression was a fad, and he needed to "get over it." Craig said the battle is in the mind because depressed individuals want to get away from it, they don't want to be that way. He went to psychologists, meds, house church etc., and over time and by the grace and love of God he was able to get free. During the struggle however, Craig "closely entertained taking my own life on numerous occasions." He said that darkness is always dispelled by the Light, no matter how small the light. God uses love, music, laughter, people, and words; there are many forms to display the light of Jesus Christ. He said we should always share the light that we have.
CHRISTINE WESTHOFF WEST
In her own words: "In the early years of his struggle with depression I did just about everything wrong. I tried to fix him (communicating much rejection), I became frustrated with him for not snapping out of it. I blamed the devil, the doctors, myself and several others. The bottom line was that I didn't know how to walk with him in his suffering. His sickness was challenging my doctrine. His battles were not responding to my quick fix solutions (pray more, read the Word more....etc.). My well-manicured co-dependence was being exposed, and my world was unraveling. I needed to learn how to love this broken man, no matter what dung pile he was standing in. In fact, I learned how to jump into that dung pile and just be there with him.
I learned many other things along the way:
- Fixing isn't love.
- Unconditional love and acceptance is truly unconditional.
- The log in my own eye was really mammoth.
- Accepting, understanding and forgiving other peoples poor responses to my husband's pain.
- I couldn't change him, but I could change me.
- I could still choose to give my whole heart completely to him every day - even though he was a mess.