God’s Word tells us that things will get so bad in the end days, that people’s heart will fail them due to so much fear. The anxiety caused by catastrophic end time events will alter their breathing, eating, and way of life so much that it may even cause their body to collapse or trigger their mind to drive them to take their own life.
Suicide is quickly becoming one of the tops ten leading causes of death in the USA. People see it as an escape from the problems and tragedy that overwhelm them, but they do not realize that it is really a permanent solution to temporary issues. They lose hope and their hopelessness influences their decisions.
They want to die because they are weary of life or feel like they have no reason to live. They feel trapped and have no foreseeable resolution for an escape. Suicide is never a viable option, however. It impacts our family and friends as well as needlessly ends our life.
Some people have unsuccessful attempts at suicide, only to wind up broken, ill, or crippled for the rest of their natural life. The reasons for these depressed feelings may be an incurable disease, being a burden for others, feeling rejected by a break-up and seeing no one else who could possibly be interested in them.
They may hurriedly make out a will, be moodier than at other times, adopt hobbies that involve taking high risks, withdraw from friendships, have a new fixation about death, search for painless ways to end their life, give away possessions that hold value for them, etc. We need to be alert with friends and family for these indications.
Prayer:
Father God, give us Your compassion for others and remind us to pay attention to them when they speak to us. Everyone needs to know that they are heard and have value to someone else. They may just need to chat, or they may have something serious on their mind, like ending their life, and they need our undivided responsiveness as well as our possible intervention.
Show us the truth that suicide crosses the lines of race, gender, age, marital status, etc. You taught us that depression and hopelessness are the very real root of turning to suicide as a solution. Help us to be a sounding board for others, showing that we care about them as they vent their feelings to us. Remind us not to lecture, criticize, or make fun of them, but to show them respect and care.
Thoughts for the Day:
Suicide seems like a plausible solution to overwhelmed people with mental disorders, traumatic physical or emotional drama, substance abuse, family history of violence or physical abuse, unsuccessful adjustments to changes in lifestyle or financial security, a side effect of certain medication, etc. Getting them to a suicide prevention counselor or institution may be the best intervention we can offer to them.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Crisis Text Line’s number (741741)
