Gary Speed

Gary Speed 1969-2011. RIP.

By now everyone in Britain has probably heard the sad news about the Wales Manager Gary Speed's death. Nothing makes this easier to understand or take in, I still don't quite believe it. Speed was a lovely man and was beginning to prove himself as a great manager with the Welsh National Team. My tribute to Speed is that he is the man who helped me believe in our national side again and I only hope we can complete his good work and make the Brazil 2014 World Cup and dedicate it to his memory.


Depression is considered to be the cause by many and although nobody knows what actually happened, you have to be in a pretty awful place to consider taking your life, let alone actually go through with it.


Not many people really know what depression truly is, not even myself. I can say that there have been some very miserable times in my life where I haven't been happy and really struggled to see a good future. I think all of us have been there in our lives. There appears to be a depression that goes beyond this, which is all consuming and very hard to get through. I can't say I have have ever had it that bad. As a Christian, prayer and putting my hope and mind towards Jesus has been a wonderful, incredible help in getting through my hard times. God has promised us a hope and a future (Jer 29:11), that good will come out of all our trials (Romans 8:28) and a glory revealed in us that goes far beyond our present sufferings (Romans 8:18). Best of all, He promises us Salvation and a happy, painless eternity through Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9), (Revelation 21:5). Jesus makes my day everyday and these truths have helped me so much.


This can be very more easily said than done at times. I don't know if you have depression, feel my experiences above are of no help or have come through this similarly yourself but I will post some great quotes from Charles Spurgeon regarding depression which I came across today.


"Before any great achievement, some measure of depression is very usual."


"Fits of depression come over the most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy."


"I find myself frequently depressed - perhaps more so than any other person here. And I find no better cure for that depression than to trust in the Lord with all my heart, and seek to realize afresh the power of the peace-speaking blood of Jesus, and His infinite love in dying upon the cross to put away all my transgressions."


Lastly I have a wonderful verse to share. A major part of depression in my opinion is Satan's ability to lie to you and bring you down. He wants you to be down because he hates you being joyful and doing the things God wants you to do.


2 Corinthians 12 7:10

⁷ To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

    ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

    ⁹ But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

    ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

No matter what your trial, in God YOU CAN OVERCOME!

John 16:33 - I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.