According to studies done by http://www.suicidology.org/stats-and-tools/suicide-fact-sheets:
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in America
- In 2010, suicide took over 38,000 lives, in the US, alone
- Suicide attempts & successes have increased by more than 200% in people the ages of 15-24 in the past 50 years
If that doesn't get your attention, I don't know what does.
Now, don't get me wrong:
Writing "love" on your wrist and wearing yellow is an incredible display of support, and I absolutely participated. However, I also know that the heart of someone that battles depression and hopelessness has so many deeper issues than a day dedicated to supporting them can fix.
You can tell someone, "You are not alone," but that won't necessarily make their loneliness disappear.
You can tell a girl, "You're so beautiful," but that won't cause her to immediately change how she sees herself.
And you can tell them that it's all going to be okay, but, until they believe it for themselves, the words just seem empty.
We should never stop encouraging, loving, and reaching out to these hurting persons, ever. But, their hearts need more than our words can give them: the ultimate issue is a lack of relationship with Jesus, and it's so vital to realize that without Him, it's all too easy for the enemy to feed lies into hearts & destroy precious lives. Suicidal hearts need healing and freedom, and those are things that only God can provide. And the beautiful thing about that is, He does. I am living proof of that.
If you are reading this and you struggle with wanting to end your life, can I talk to you for a sec? There is not a soul out there that understands the depths of your heart like God does. He understands that your life seems crappy right now, that you hate yourself, that no one seems to care what would happen to you. He understands it all better than you can. And you know what His response to that is? "...In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
The battle that you are currently fighting, the one that you are ready to raise your white flag to, is a battle that has already been won. Not just the battle, but the whole war. Because our God has already overcome this temporary home of ours, we are victorious. These burdens of yours were never meant to be carried by you. They're heavy, aren't they? You aren't strong enough to carry them, but Jesus is.
I would not be here today if I hadn't finally reached a place of brokenness and weakness that allowed me to admit that I needed Jesus to take it all from me. Over a year later, and I am still walking in this beautiful freedom that only my Savior can provide for me.
I can't make you see how important and precious your life is. But I know Who can. That, darlings, is a journey you need to go on for yourself. Maybe it seems like I preached at you, or everything I said is cliché. So, see for yourself. Go look for God; He'll meet you right where you're at.
Whether it means something to you or not, I pray for you to find freedom from this struggle, every day. I pray that you'll be able to take heart, and see that you are victorious. And I pray that you'll one day have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, our Overcomer.
You're loved.
-Madison
