Walking with Depression: How Little James’ Limp Speaks to Silent Suffering
Some pain never fully leaves. It lingers quietly in the background, like a shadow you carry, even on bright days. For many, depression is like this: a lasting burden that does not scream but whispers, that isn’t always visible, yet shapes how you move through life.
In The Chosen, one disciple embodies this reality in a deeply moving way: Little James. His limp becomes a picture of what depression often feels like:
...present in every step.
The Limp Within
Unlike the other disciples, Little James* walks with a physical disability. He follows Jesus faithfully, yet he remains unhealed, even while Jesus heals many others around him. His limp is visible, but what often goes unnoticed is the limp within: the heavy fog of discouragement, the quiet ache of sorrow. For many today, that inner limp takes the form of depression: unseen by others, yet profoundly shaping the way life is lived.
Honest and Hard Questions to Jesus
In Season 3, Episode 2 of The Chosen, Little James finally shares his struggle with Jesus. He admits how painful it is to preach healing when his own body remains broken. Do you feel how the honesty of that moment resonates with anyone who has prayed for relief and heard only silence? This mirrors the cry of many who live with depression: how do you speak of joy when you feel numb inside, how do you cling to hope when the heaviness does not lift?
* In The Chosen, this disciple is called Little James: a name that also reflects the real-life condition of the actor Jordan Walker Ross, who has cerebral palsy and scoliosis. In church history, however, the term “little” or “lesser” was used for more practical reasons. You can read more about this in this article about James, son of Alphaeus.
Becoming a Broken Healer
What makes Little James’ story so powerful is not a miraculous cure, but Jesus’ response. Jesus tells Little James that his unhealed body is also a great testimony. It will allow Little James to reach people in ways others never could. His weakness, his sorrow, even his depression-like struggle, becomes part of his calling. Little James becomes a “broken healer,” much like Jesus himself: healing from a deep understanding of pain and grief.
Healing Within
Still, it is anything but easy for Little James to accept Jesus’ words. Imagine being so close to healing, yet not quite receiving it. But… wait. Some may say that Little James experienced another kind of healing: a healing of the limp within. His body remained marked by frailty, but the burden of despair may have grown lighter as his heart found peace in Jesus’ words. For many walking with depression, this kind of inner healing is no less miraculous.
Little James experienced another kind of healing: a healing of the limp within.
Standing in Little James’ Shoes
Does any of this resonate with you? Can you imagine standing in Little James’ shoes, asking Jesus the one question that weighs most heavily on your heart? And then realizing that the burden might not be fully lifted, but instead woven into your unique story? Just like Little James, you may not find complete healing… Yet, limp or no limp, depression or no depression, you are welcome and empowered to walk close to Jesus.
A Journey with Limps, Tears, and Depression
If you are carrying depression or another silent grief, hear this: you are not disqualified. Your worth is not measured by how healed or whole you appear. Jesus sees you. He chooses you as you are, not as you wish you were or how the world thinks you should be, but who you are. Like Little James, your journey—with limps, tears, doubts, and even depression—can become a testimony that brings hope to others who feel unseen. Today, Little James’ example shows us how to approach Jesus with our sorrow: freely bringing your heart’s desire, while deeply trusting His leading to shape your path.
“There are miracles in every single one of the wounds you carry.”
Déborah Rosenkranz, writer for A Miracle Every Day, describes how she struggled with wounds that never really healed, but had an unexpected contribution anyway. Please read “This is probably not what you expected…”
