Suicide? Why?

  You may have had a loved one who committed suicide or maybe you have tried to do this yourself. When we are sane, and of a sound mine, we may wonder why we would have done such a thing.

   It is easy for people to be tempted to end one's life. We get discouraged. We don't see any fruit in our lives. If we are tired or  have PMS, the temptations could even be stronger. Why do we have this though?

   As you probably know already, when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, the whole human race was plunged into darkness and sin. Since we are born in the world of darkness, we don't really know what it's like to be in the world of light. But when we come to know the Lord, the lights come on. We see a lot more clearly, but still, we only see as if we were looking through a dark glass at the light, compared to the day when we really will see things clearly (in the next life).

       Sometimes, people commit suicide to punish those left behind. Sometimes, people end their lives because they never got what they really wanted in life, and that is their response to that fact. But there are times when people end their lives without even considering what it will do to others, and they do this simply because they are discouraged. They are looking at their world through tired eyes, or eyes that can only see a glimpse of the light, if even that.

   Occasionally, those who are believers in Jesus Christ, and who have been walking with the Lord, kill themselves. I heard of one pastor who was so discouraged that he ended his life. It's an easy temptation for all of us to have, especially when we put our hope in things instead of God.

  What are some ways that suicides can be prevented though? It is easy for us to tell ourselves to keep our guards up. We should do that, but sometimes we get distracted and unintentionally we put them down. The Bible tells us several times to 'remember' or 'do not forget' what God has done for us. But because we are fickle and forgetful, we do forget. We get distracted and set our eyes on something else, even good things. We constantly need others to remind us and bring to our remembrance the evidences of God's grace in our lives.

       Take for example, the pastor above who killed himself. He was distracted because the number of people who were in his church congregation went down. He felt like a failure. Take a parent who has children and she wants each one to know the Lord so that when they are adults, they will be serving Him instead of living for the things of the world. When the children grow up, a few of them decide that they would rather go the way of the world. The parent is discouraged. She might listen to the lies of the devil telling her of what a failure she is, instead of listening to the voice of truth which would inform her that fruit sometimes takes a long time before it is evident.

   Suicides can happen to young teenagers as well as older people. It can be done by males and females. No one is exempt from this kind of temptation.

  We can help each other in the body of Christ, by building good relationships with others in the church. We need people who will love us and whom we can turn to in our dark hours. Conversely, we should be available to others when they go through hard times.

   The Bible talks a lot about the love of Christ. A lot of Christians do not want to talk about the love of God because they are afraid that this concept will keep many people from repenting from their sins and trusting in the Lord. They believe that lost people will use the love of God as an excuse for not repenting and turning to God, for if God really loves them as much as people have told them, then He will not send anyone to hell. People have a hard time reconciling God's judgment and God's love. But it was because of God's love, that He provided a way of escape for us. Not just so we could go to heaven when we die, but so we could also be delivered from sin, which so easily entangles and deceives us.

  When we truly learn to love God, we will love other people. We will learn to love ugly people, mean people, tired people, old people, children, black, white, Hispanic, retarded, handicapped, and people with a host of other traits.

  We will be ready to sacrifice for others. We will become good friends with people when we truly love them. We will serve them even when it is not convenient. We will live and give whatever we have so that others can be successful.

  I believe that when a church can make application of the verses which tell us how we should relate to one another, there will be less temptation to commit suicide.

  I would encourage people to talk, and not hide their difficulties and challenges. When people are humble enough to be open with us, let's embrace them, no matter how bizarre their stories could sound to us. It is not time for preaching or correction when people open up to us. We need to provide a context for people to feel safe around us. We need to show the love of Christ when we minister to others, especially the downtrodden and broken-hearted. If we don't, there will be many Christian casualties, and we will be forever asking the question of why our loved one ended his or her life. Let's be proactive when it comes to this one.

Just remember, everyone is inside the tunnel at some point
in his or her life. There is always a light at the end, but it
may not be visible until you are near the end of the tunnel.
Photo made by: TORUŃ DAILY PHOTO

Everyone of us will be inside the dark tunnel, sometime in our lives, maybe even several times, or for a long period of time. There is always a light at the end, though the tunnel may be long and very dark. This is why we need each other. It is hard for us to see when it is dark, but others can see for us until we get to the end.