"Cursed be the day in which I was born!... Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?"This doesn't sound like one of God's greatest prophets. Yet it is! It's Jeremiah, pouring his heart out to God, wishing he'd never been born. Everyone has felt that way at one time or another. Most of us have wished we could just check out of this life. For some, though, that desire gets so intense they act on it. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among American teenagers. Teenage suicides have tripled in the last 25 years. Why do so many young people decide life isn't worth it? What does God say about suicide? What can we do to guard against suicide?
There are many reasons people take their lives. Everyone occasionally faces despair, but why does one person make it through the struggle while another ends his life? The critical factor is loss of hope. A suicidal person looks at his or her problems and says, "It's dark outside, and I'm powerless to change things. I have no hope that things will get better. Why live through the pain?"What does God think about suicide? Unfortunately the Bible does not give a simple here's-what-God-says-about-the-issue answer. But it does give us some helpful principles.
First, man isn't the author of life, God is. There are no "self-made" men or women. You're here because God made you in His image, because He loves you, He wants to know you, and He wants you to know Him. When someone commits suicide he or she is saying, "Look, God, you goofed when you let me slip into this world. So I'm going to correct your mistake." Life and death are God's territory. By you choosing to take your own life you're taking away God's authority. To trespass on that holy ground means you've decided to play God. All sin is playing God---choosing to do what you want instead of what God wants---and suicide is a sin. But suicide is playing God in a major way, and God does not look on it lightly. The only unpardonable sin today is that of continued unbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in unbelief. No, the person who takes His own life cannot ask forgiveness, but we are not forgiven for our unerring faithfulness in asking forgiveness. We are forgiven because of God's mercy and Jesus' death on the cross. That is bigger and more reliable than any of our efforts. Thank God! So, I believe that if someone commits suicide, and has given their life to Jesus, they have gone to heaven.
This doesn't mean suicide is okay. Actually, suicide is one of the most selfish, cowardly, and hateful acts anyone can commit. Those who have ever had to deal with someone's suicide know: the emotional devastation for those left behind is unbelievable. Suicide doesn't solve problems. It dumps them on someone else, multiplied many times over. Don't believe the lie that, everyone will be better off without you. They won't. You'll just cause overwhelming pain and heart break. So what do you do when you--or someone you care about----decide that you want to simply end it all?
First, remember you're NOT alone. Everyone has felt that way. There are many people who have already walked the very path your walking, that can give you advice and help you. Please, please, please don't believe the lie that you are alone! It is not true! You are so loved by your heavenly Father!
Secondly, don't lose hope. Things can get better. Sometimes all you need is time. Mitch Anthony, founder of the national Suicide help center, puts it like this: "Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It's like cutting off your leg, because your little toe hurts."
Third, know the danger signals that someone might be considering suicide: someone going through a family crisis; being the victim of abuse or neglect; drug abuse (yours or a family member's); death of a friend or family member; approaching the anniversary of a significant loss or death; previous suicide attempts; family history of suicide; preoccupation with death and/or talk of suicide. If you or a friend are experiencing one or more of these signals, talk to someone you can trust--someone trained to help you with your struggle. Counseling is extremely important. There is nothing wrong with needing help. I readily admit that I need help all the time. I have, and at times still do, struggle with depression. I talk to a close friend about it and ask them to pray for me. I can't do it alone, and neither can you.
Finally, remember, even if it seems no one else cares about you and your pain, God cares. He cares deeply. Pour your troubles out to Him. He understands because He, too, has experienced the depths of human experience. When you are tempted to give up, to take the coward's way out and end it all, remember what Winston Churchill once said: "Success is never final; failure is never fatal; it is courage that counts." And Jesus says, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
You don't know what people are going through, so be kind.
Love,
Jessie Childs
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