The Gift of Despair: Faith and Philosophy in the Face of Crushing Depression

"Wandering the confusing and hopeless wasteland of depression can be a beautiful experience. It took me forty years to understand that." ~ Lee J Ballard If you've ever experienced depression or you intimately know someone who has, you know how complex it is. Navigating bookstores and doctors' offices, the church pew and the kitchen table, Lee Ballard tackles those complexities with authentic frankness and compassion. Ballard tells the story of his depression in light of genealogy and biography, psychology, philosophy, and Christian faith, a three-year argument with God Himself. This is his unexpected story of turning painful wandering into wondering, listening into choosing. It's a story of pessimism set against optimism. This is the story of living despite depression's most pressing symptom: the downward spiral of suicidal ideation. Despair is a universal human experience. It can be short-lived or fully dominate our lives for many years. If recognized as a gift, despair can create in our lives endurance, character, hope, confidence, love and joy. This is an invitation to accept the gift, a gift no one wants, but, perhaps, a gift everyone needs.