Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor's Personal Journey Through Depression by
Michelle Bengtson
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
This was a very encouraging and refreshing book. People in general, even Christians, seem unaware of the fact that so many of the causes and/or aggravators of depression are spiritual issues. Dr. Bengtson wisely understands that depression is not going to be cured by a pill or a therapy session, if the heart is not right with the Lord.
Packed with Biblical principles, this book is full of encouragement and advice from someone who has been there, and who can now look back. I loved that Dr. Bengtson included suggested Bible verses to memorize at the end of each chapter. Also, I appreciated the ‘playlists’ of music she’d found encouraging in her own journey, and the personal prayers for those reading the book.
I only had a couple of issues with this book. The first was that it seems to be advertised as a book to help ‘anyone’ who is going through depression, but when reading, it was clearly a book for those who are already believers in Christ. Many of God’s promises covered in this book are for His children only. They would not apply to someone who does not know Him as Savior and Father. Farther into the book, Dr. Bengtson clarifies that salvation through Jesus is the first step towards freedom; while I am thankful that she did clarify, this clarification should have been nearer the beginning.
The second fault I found was a collection of statements regarding one’s perception of individual worth. A couple of quotes such as “…you have infinite worth because Christ paid the price of his life when he died on the cross to save us,” and, “If you were the only one living, God would have done that just for you because he found you worthy,” bothered me. Christ did not die for us because we were so valuable and worth saving – He died for us out of HIS own goodness and mercy and kindness, and His love is what gives us our value. Before He redeemed us, we were despicable; He and His love are what have cleaned us and made us new and beautiful. He didn’t buy us because we were/are valuable – we are valuable because He bought us. While there are certainly people who struggle with understanding their value in the Lord’s eyes, I think Dr. Bengtson could have done a better job of encouraging them scripturally in this case, judging from her excellent level of communicating in other areas.
Lastly, though I loved how she used large amounts of Scripture throughout the book, I did wish Dr. Bengtson had used the King James Version (or at least the New King James) which, based on research and study experience, I have personally found to be the most true translation of the original text.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to Christians struggling with areas of personal darkness and discouragement.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.
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