Suicide

For a very long time, I had doubts about whether or not my sister, Jill, made it into heaven because there are at least a few religions who teach that those who commit suicide are condemned. There are several people that told me the same thing. However, after a lot of soul-searching, poll-taking and research, I firmly believe that Jill is indeed in heaven—as are many like her, who took their own lives.

Isaiah 53:3, He was despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised and we did not esteem Him.

Loneliness is defined as: “a solitary state of being that causes emptiness, a secluded feeling from society or people.” It can envelope us into a consuming torment that affects and hinders every aspect of our spiritual and physical lives. We become stripped of our energy and rendered with a feeling of utter desolation; leading us to believe the lie that nobody cares about us and we don’t matter. It filters away the light from our souls and replaces that light with shadows of unacceptance, discomfort and rejection. Our hearts become imprisoned by this and before we know it, we’ve distanced ourselves from God. We become so preoccupied with our emotional state that we turn inward instead of upward. Now we’ve opened the door for this loneliness to enclose itself around us like a huge wall of entrappment locking us into its prison. We begin drowning in our self-pity and feel there’s no way out; therefore submitting to the mindsets of hopelessness and despair. These feelings are a common thread among suicide victims. They get to such a detrimental state of emotional instability that they allow their minds to cave in to the lies of the devil. Then the devil takes their lives from them as they succumb willingly to his plot of destruction. We must realize that Satan is a liar and his main purposes on this earth is to kill, steal and destroy, according to John 10:10.

His chest began to heave, and he felt that at any moment he would be unable to contain an outburst of heavy sobbing. Henry walked away from the grave site as the coffin was lowered. No one followed him, not even Betty, who stood at the side of the grave, their two children on either side of her.

Depression is more common than one would think. According to the US Department of Health & Human Services, clinical depression affects 15% of Americans at one point in their lives. In fact, depression is the number one cause of disability in women, states a report by the World Health Organization. In 1990, approximately 7 million women in the United States suffered from clinical depression (roughly twice the rate of men), according to the American Psychological Association (APA). Most disturbing, and according to the APA, almost 15% of those suffering from clinical depression will commit suicide.

To many adults, young people seem to have everything. They are in the prime of life, filled with strength, health and the beauty of youth. How many times have you thought “If only I were young again, I could do so much with my life. If I knew then what I know now…”?

When I first started my quest for information regarding suicide, I was not sure exactly what I would find. The subject of suicide stirs up fears and strong emotions within most people. These fears sometime make people shy away from learning more extensive knowledge and some of the major causes of suicide. As a result, the subject of suicide is beset by dangerous myths and misconceptions. These myths and misconceptions not only isolate people considering suicide from their families and communities, but they lead to further isolation and hopelessness—two factors highly associated with suicide attempts and completions.

Today, I decided to do a project: For 17 minutes, I concentrated on my surroundings; the sound of the rain falling outside; the cars driving past our home; the sounds of my children playing in their room. I observed. Listened. When my 17 minutes were up, I felt sad. Why?

Suicide can be described as an interpersonal act. It is killing oneself, yet it also kills a part of everyone who is close to, or loves, the person who dies by suicide. The emotional pain for the suicide victim is over, but it is only beginning for the survivors.

Night before last, my 19-year-old son attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on a bottle of pills. Thank God, he is going to be fine. This event prompted me to write this article.