Suicide Is Never Really The Answer

The news of late is that our soldiers are choosing self-inflicted death over life. It’s not hard to understand, after all they’ve seen firsthand in war, why they may deem this the lesser of two evils. But to any and every one who reads this, please know suicide could never be an end-all; cure-all to life. I’ve lost several dear friends through the years to this desperate act. The first experience was a high-school friend. I remember the dual emotions of sorrow and anger I felt for years after this act. I finally had to shake his spirit off me after having several very dark dreams of his “current” existence. I’ve come to realize that in each instance a person played God and took what was not theirs to take. I do realize they felt as though the pain, whether emotional or physical, was just too unbearable to deal with. I don’t think those left behind (on this side) ever really get over the emotions of losing someone this way. Life’s taught me that suicide is a personal decision that no amount of words or deeds can prevent one who is sternly determined to end his or her life. I’ve talked to exhaustion with people who were desperate to the point of wanting to end it all; usually around the holidays; until I came to the realization in my spirit that there are no words to keep a grown person from doing what they want to do. And that their need for help was far greater than any I could give them if they were beyond processing words of hope. And that the way out of their dark abyss was not the newest anti-depressant; but a closer walk with right living as described in the Word. Thankfully none of the persons, in their dark moments, chose to take their lives. But too often people succumb to suicide as a means of relieving themselves of problems they have to endure or a burden they feel they are to others. To not take the focus off who this article is primarily about, I sincerely believe that just as our soldiers have to endure boot camp training on entering the military, there should be as stringent an exit-style debriefing boot camp that monitors and measures for at minimum six-weeks any abnormal anxieties our girls and guys who’ve served may be experiencing. I also think that giving them mood-altering medications to in any way numb what they’ve experienced should be halted immediately. Anti-depressants keep a person from facing what’s destroying them on the inside. But, the reason I know suicide is a temporary fix is because God tells us in His Word that our lives are eternal. And that we will either live in eternal light or eternal darkness. More people might jump off bridges if there was proof that if we end it, we can sleep til Jesus comes. But realistically God says in His Word that He formed us in our mother’s womb. He knows the plans HE has for us. Somehow taking matters in our own hands and deciding when “it’s over” is amusing and subtly arrogant. To think that God will say it’s okay that you’ve shown up early on the other side and can prematurely walk through the “pearly gates” means He allows us to change His plans. Ummmm; no, I don’t think life’s that simple. Life’s not that cut and dry. To those who have lost loved ones to this act, I do not believe that these souls are damned to hell. God knows we are weak vessels. In fact He knows we’re dust formed into clay vessels. He’s forgiving. People caught up in this moment usually reach a moment of insanity where rational thinking has become so murky that the irrational overrules the ability to weigh the rational. If this demon has risen in your spirit, let me end this by saying: Don’t take your life. Give your life. Rid yourself of everything that’s keeping you from thinking clearly. Seek professional help for weaning yourself off drugs that are giving you dark thoughts. As far as the tape in your head playing over and over and over and over of what war required of you, leave the mental video at the feet of Jesus and know that He already knows. And if you think you need forgiveness. Ask. Consider it a guarantee; so says His Holy Word. Take up jogging or baseball, or tennis. Pretend the ball is your problem. In reality, God put you here for a reason. It’s my greatest fear that to be so bold as to decide when to hit the exit button may mean going back to square one and reliving this entire existence from birth to God’s Divinely Ordained Time for this earthly departure, living an existence 10 times (or greater) more difficult than the current existence. There has to be a consequence for this action. Realistically, who are we to dare “play God.” It’s a far too-risky and un-chartered gamble to take. If you’ve been strong enough to endure a war; there’s no doubt in my spirit, that you are strong enough to tough out the rest of your days. Nothing, including bad times, last forever. Tap into your God-given gift. Are you the next Da Vinci? Are you destined to do missions work in parts of the world others are not gifted to serve? Are you a lobbyist; the voice of the under-served? Checking out is not really an option. It’s just saying a premature farewell to the people you know; who’d do just about anything to keep you on this side. And if they’re not loving folk; then make it your business to sit out at the park til you find someone who cares. People care. And they’re not always therapists who’re paid to care. You might make the choice your own. You might take your chances of learning what happens when we show up “prematurely” to the other side. What if you have to stand in a barren limbo for decades until your God-ordained number comes up? There are just too many “what ifs” to opting to quit before the game is over. In essence; isn’t that what life really is? We all start. We’re given several clear-cut rules. One includes, “Thou shalt not murder.” I do differentiate that from killing for the sake of defending one’s country. Read about the God-ordained wars of the Old Testament. It’s not for us to determine if a war is justified. As a soldier, it is to serve the duties put before you by the leader of the country. I think of Moses’ killing the Egyptian and in time, being used powerfully by God. But getting back to the semblance of life as a “game.” Aside from the rules, we’re gifted to do some task as we journey. Is that picking up cans and witnessing to lost souls? Or is it building homes for the homeless? We’re put on this planet for a designated time for a designated purpose. Quitting this game of life as you know it today doesn’t mean it ends. It simply means you throw the dice into the unknown abyss and risk losing whatever God’s best is for you. Stay with us another day. Pray for a God-speak moment. Jog or walk until you get some tug in your spirit what it is He wants you to do. I’d hate to think you’re a computer tech, needing to go back to school to get certified. The world could always use someone to fix a laptop gone wrong. Let me stop here. Just know that suicide affects not only you; but, all those who were destined to cross your path and be a part of your life on this journey. Whatever your reason for throwing in the towel; as difficult as this is to say, because I know what pain feels like; give it one more go. Let this be a life-changing moment on this side. Trust God to give you a peaceful purpose. He will. I know He will. There is no problem so big that He’s not even bigger still.