A Dangerous Path...
Men often don't ask for help before it is too late. See if you identify with what Archibald Hart writes, "The depression that comes from stress is due to the exhaustion of the adrenal system. On the other hand, the depression that comes from bumout is the loss of your vision, of your ideals. You become demoralized, and you don't care anymore.
A fellow from the Harvard Medical School identified the process leading to aberrant behavior in secular leaders. I see it at work in our Christian world as well. Specifically, the devil uses four As to lead into big trouble.
The first is arrogance.
The person says, "I can do it myself. I don't need anybody else to help." And then he begins to make the rules. He doesn't obey the rules—he makes them. That leads, secondly, to a sort of
Adventurous addiction.
The person becomes taken up with what he's doing, very excited and energized by it, and it's an addiction. Then he begins the third A:
Aloneness sets in.
That's the point at which depression is a risk, because he cuts himself off from other people. And then, finally, there's the danger of
Adultery.
The person turns to sex as the only thing that will give him his kick, as a way to make up for what he has lost, because he has a profound sense of loss.Those four As are as much a risk for anyone in the secular world who's striving to be successful. They are the consequences of too much stress.(Refresh Renew Revive by H.B London Jr.)
