Four Conditions That Can Trigger Depression In A Leader

I had led our people to achieve something truly big, everyone was celebrating the victory.  On the outside I celebrated as well.  But inside I was tired, lonely, fatigued, and struggled with a sense of failure.  I was depressed.

Depression

These kinds of emotions can touch any Christian leader, whether that leadership is in business, education, government, or the church.  Consider the example of Elijah.

Elijah was a great prophet who spoke God’s Word in perilous times.  The King and Queen had led the people away from their faith in the One True God into an idolatrous worship of a false god.  They had persecuted and killed the LORD’s prophets.  Elijah challenged the religious leaders of the false god to a showdown.

Two sacrifices were offered, one to the false god and one to the LORD.  Elijah said the one who consumes the sacrifice by fire is the true God.   As you would expect the false god did not consume the offering, but the LORD did.  The people shouted, “The LORD—he is God!” (1 Kings 18:39)  Elijah’s faith was vindicated and his cause gained the victory.

You would think Elijah would be jubilant.  He was not.  The Queen, upset about her defeat, threatened to kill Elijah.  The prophet ran for his life.  He ran and ran, collapsed under a tree and prayed that he might die.  He went from celebration to depression.

Elijah had experienced four conditions that can trigger depression in a leader.

What are those conditions?

1. A victory achieved.  Elijah had experienced a victory.  It seems counter-intuitive to think that he would be down after that.  But this is typical.  Often times we can have a let-down after an achievement.  We dream of hitting the pinnacle of success, we dream and dream.  But then we reach the pinnacle and we say to ourselves, “Is this it?  What do I do now?”  Have you ever felt this let-down after completing something important?  It’s normal.
2. A failure perceived.  Sure Elijah had seen God bring the victory.  But with the Queen threatening his life, it was obvious many in Israel were still living in rebellion to God.  Elijah’s mission was to point the people to God.  So he felt like a failure.  We can always find something to focus on in our lives that can make us feel like we failed.  When I was depressed after a great victory, I focused on the opportunities I had missed or the things yet to be achieved.
3. A loneliness that goes unrelieved.  Elijah had reasons to feel alone for a long time.  For years he felt like a lone voice in the wilderness and now he was alone, running for his life.  When we are lonely we can easily struggle with our faith, and if it is severe we can even despair of life.  Leadership always has a touch of loneliness attached to it.  But we must never allow ourselves to pull away from community and deep friendships.  We must have caring people to talk to and lean on.  I do not know what I would have done without such people in my life at times when I was down.
4. A pace that results in growing fatigued.  The prophet had been on a relentless ministry run for years.  He had spoken God’s Word, confronted the King, challenged the followers of a false god, and run for his life.  He was tired.  It was Vince Lombardi who said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”  When you get tired, for long enough, your will, your faith, can falter.  It is so important that you take care of yourself, get rest, eat right, and find godly ways to meet your emotional needs.

Knowing that these conditions can trigger depression in a leader is the first step in heading things off at the pass.

Question:  How can being aware of these triggers help you navigate through the down times in leadership?  You can leave a comment by clicking here.