D&C 42:61

"If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things--that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal."

I love this scripture. My husband and I just got done reading a lecture from Hugh Nibley about laying treasure up in heaven rather than on earth and it was fabulous. It is really important that we have the desire to learn the mysteries of God because this will bring us peace and joy here on this earth.

Gratitude for the Smallest Improvement

One thing I heard and read all the time was "have gratitude." During those dark times this phrase made me GAG. I was so tired of hearing this. I had given it a try but it didn't really seem to work for me. Then I read a talk by Elder Scott (of course) and he said that whenever we receive a priesthood blessing (I would also add, when we ask for blessing in our own personal prayers) we should look for the smallest, slightest improvement and be very grateful for that improvement and then the Lord could bless us more. So, I tried this and it worked like a charm! This is really a wonderful way to show gratitude!

Writing Down Priesthood Blessing

One of the things that helped me the most was to get priesthood blessings. I got them very often from my husband. I realize that some people may not have that resource so close and readily available. If you don't, please ask for home teachers, friends, bishop, dad, or anyone else you know to give you a blessing... as often as you need it. I would write each of these blessings down (at least everything I could remember after the blessing was over) and read and re-read them often. Now, as I read back on them I can see how the different promises that were given in the blessings were fulfilled as I held up my "end of the deal" of course. Most of them took a while to come to pass but they did! These blessing not only helped me overcome the depression through encouragement and instruction but also helped build faith in a major way!

If you do get these blessings don't forget to write each one down and read them often. Not only will it be a source of comfort for you on those difficult days, but it will also show the Lord how serious you are about overcoming this by using His help.