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My mind has been on suicide. Not because I’m contemplating but because in the last week two recognizable names have been in the media for committing suicide.
Maybe it’s hit close to home because our family experienced the aftermath of a loved one taking his life or perhaps it’s because I have been in the pit of despair and depression.
I know all too well the grasping for any kind of break from the dark. I remember the lies and the fleeting thoughts of finding somewhere better if I just ended my misery.
We might find ourselves mouth agape when we hear it in the national news but I can reassure you that every day this is a daily occurrence.
Statistics say that of 350 million adults in the world suffer from depression. In the USA, 123 suicides happen every day or about every 16.2 minutes.
Many can’t understand how anyone could take their own lives, but if you’ve never been in the deepest pit it wouldn’t make sense.
Our Experience with Suicide
Our loved one disappeared and when he was found, he agreed to treatment and therapy. But only a few months later disappeared again and ended up taking his own life. Our family member was an active Christian and had been serving his church the day of his death.
For those of us who have been in despair, stories like this cause a chill to run up our backs because we know how powerful lies and the belief in them can be.
The lies that tell us:
- you will never be free.
- This will never leave you and you will feel this way for the rest of your life.
- There’s no way out…unless you…
Panic and anxiety set in, and the endless lies on repeat make the lies seem more truth than falsehood.
The focus is to ease the torment in our minds, the pain and shame in our heart, and we believe the best for us and for everyone else is to give up.
Death seems attractive when all we know of this life is the daily battling of our inner demons.
And yet, the family is left to pick up the pieces and they are ridden with guilt for not doing enough. It doesn’t end with death, it only begins for the survivors.
You’re Never Without Hope
Here’s the thing, there is no hope apart from Jesus and yet, we are never without Hope when we firmly believe He will rescue us.
Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don’t give up. -Anne Lamott
Hey, but wait, you said your loved one was a Christian so what happened?
There is an endless battle going on in each of us. God’s word tells us this in Ephesians 6:12:
12 For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (NLT).
This world is a battle between darkness (sin) and God.
The devil is real and he is the father of lies. He wants suicide to continue and every death is another arrow in his hat. He wants us to believe we can never experience anything better.
His spewing of lies and our weariness from depression are no match. But God doesn’t leave us without hope.
Another Way (It’s Found in Jesus)
I know an easier way out, a tried and tested way to replace the suffering with hope:
- There is hope
- There is healing.
- We can find life and hope in Jesus.
His word promises to be with us, strengthen us, and help us through whatever hard seasons we go through.
Depression.
Attempted Suicide.
Hopelessness.
Despair.
Back to Life
He can bring us out of the pit and back to life. Not a life of just enduring, but a life for a joyous living.
Psalm 130:5 New Living Translation (NLT).
5 I am counting on the Lord;
yes, I am counting on him.
I have put my hope in his word.
David was no stranger to depression and despair. Read the words of Psalms and you will see his emotions coming through. He doesn’t think he can hold on, his strength is gone and he’s stuck in the pit of despair.
However, as he keeps believing and trusting in God, God pulls him out slowly, but every so surely.
David only had to reach out and believe that God had better things planned for him. David needed to cast down the lies and place himself firmly on the promises and truth of God.
But you don’t know my situation…
- Finances
- Health Woes
- Thoughts
- Shame
- Past
- Loneliness
- Guilt
God doesn’t discriminate. God loves you and if you reach out to Him, He will pull you through.
Our Evidence of Hope is Real
This is real hope. It’s not a ticket that only works for some, it works for all. His word is evidence of that. Flip through the pages of the Bible and see the most hopeless situations turned around.
We only have to:
- Reach out to God
- Throw the lies away
- Spend time in His word
- Be patient
- Pray for deliverance. (Somedays these prayers might be every second).
We do the work and God will do the miracle! But, we need to do our part. We work in tandem with God, He picks up where we end. He covers all the deficiencies our weary bodies produce.
If we can only muster a little, His grace will cover us as we give our little.
Nothing is impossible with God, not even the deepest pit of depression and despair.
Please reach out to someone! Please know you aren’t alone!
You are never without hope when you cling to Christ.
Without Christ there is no hope. -Charles Spurgeon
If you feel you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It is a free, 24-hour hotline, at 1.800.273.TALK (8255).
Thanks for sharing this timely thought. I’ve been praying that there will not be a string of copy-cat suicides following on the heels of these prominent losses.
Blessings to you, Julie!