dyton mupawaenda
Michelle Garrett
You are not alone. There are people who care. Jesus cares. He says you are worthy.
He says you have a purpose. He created you like no other! The lenses of depression and hopelessness try to cover your view of the light, but that does not mean there is no hope.
You just may not be seeing it accurately. Your life matters. God created you and he loves you. Even when you feel separated from his love, you are not. Nothing can separate you from him.
Suicide is never the answer. If you are having suicidal thoughts, it is time to reach out.
Give hope another chance. Romans 15:13 NIV says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.” God desires to give you hope and to fill you with joy and peace. Find life. Tell someone about it.
You would be surprised to know how many have walked this journey successfully and have found God’s healing. You really can overcome suicidal thoughts!
Suicide is something that happens far too often. We need to talk openly about it and do what we can do to prevent it. Suicide crosses all demographics, but suicide rates have doubled in youth populations. We need to take this seriously — seriously enough to get anyone help even for just briefly entertaining suicidal thoughts.
We are called, as followers of Christ, to help bring Jesus’ light into the world. And that does not mean hiding from the darkness. Depression and suicidal thoughts can make people feel alone. Meeting people where they are, or opening yourself up in the midst of pain, may be the only way to overcome the feeling of loneliness.
How will you know if you are (or someone else is) entertaining suicidal thoughts?
The following are symptoms of depression and suicidal risk. Those starred with an asterisk are more serious and may indicate higher suicidal risk:
No one symptom in and of itself indicates suicidality, with the exception of direct threats, but more symptoms indicate a higher risk.
Sad or depressed mood
Changes in normal behaviour, like difficulty sleeping or eating
Having firearms in the home
Losing interest in things one used to care about
Chronic pain or illness
Isolating oneself and withdrawing from others
Statements about being hopeless, worthless, or a burden
Statements like “I wish I was not here” or “I wish I were dead”
Talking about killing oneself, self-harm, or suicide in general; preoccupation with death
Substance abuse
History of suicide attempts (personally); family history of suicide
Find hope in what God says about you.
Find new words to live by. If the words in your mind are negative, hopeless, and full of self-rejection, try finding new words to live by with this simple resource.
Find your reason to live. Do you realise how valuable you are? Find life-giving habits. What we do every day changes the person we are becoming. Try this guide for making or breaking daily habits.
Find a local Christian counsellor. If you are in need of mental health treatment, search for treatment facilities.
If you or someone you know is demonstrating any of the symptoms above, it is time to talk about it. Remember how we are supposed to meet people where they are?
That is exactly what we will do. Turns out, a simple, non-threatening, yet direct approach is probably best.
1. Ask. “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” Studies show that asking at-risk individuals if they are suicidal does not increase suicidal thoughts. It simply assesses the risk.
2. Keep them safe. Reducing a suicidal person’s access to highly lethal items or places that put them at risk is an important part of suicide prevention. Ask the at-risk person if they have a plan, and remove or disable the lethal means.
3. Be there. Listen carefully and learn what the individual is thinking and feeling. Findings suggest that acknowledging and talking about suicide may, in fact, reduce suicidal thoughts.
4. Help them connect and expand their support system by connecting them to a trusted family member, pastor, friend, medical doctor, counsellor.
5. Stay connected. Studies show that suicide deaths go down when someone follows up with the at-risk person.
Many, if not most, people have experienced times in life that have led them down a dark path. With depression, everything is experienced through a lens of darkness and hopelessness.
Our relationships, our outlook on life, and our future can all seem bleak and hopeless. Our relationship with God can feel distant.
The ability to feel joy, hope, purpose, and worth are all compromised by this dark filter.
If this is you or someone you know, it is time to ask for help.
Depression and suicidal thoughts can be treated with great success through counselling, increasing support, and sometimes medication. Ask for help. You can overcome suicidal thoughts! – finds.life.church
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