Hey ladies
How you doing?
Well I hope some of you answer my question like so… blessed, flourishing, ecstatic, overjoyed, thankful etc. Swiftly moving onwards I’d just like to bring to your attention, that the topic which I will be discussing in this post today, is a very sensitive one to say the least. Over the past few months the Holy Spirit has laid it upon my heart to pray for those who are battling with suicidal thoughts.
For a while now God has been highlighting to me that so many people are lonely. You do not only find isolated people in distant countries that are poverty stricken. I say this because it is a common misconception which a lot of people believe is true. I previously held the incorrect view that it’s impossible for someone to be lonely in Britain. If you don’t have family, you’ll have friends, and if not friends you could go out and find something sociable to do such as, cinema, bowling or go to a restaurant. And if you don’t have access to any of that, you’d have the cyber world as your backup (Although I personally do not believe this is the best option, I appreciate that in this day and age most things have become computerised as well as our methods for communication). The point I’m trying to make is that isolated people are everywhere, you could have someone who is feeling suicidal on your street, in your block, on the next road from you. That person feeling suicidal could even be your best friend or family member.
God did not only stop by encouraging me to pray concerning this issue, He wanted to bring to my attention that suicide is a REAL PROBLEM in Britain. I firmly believe this because He showed me this through an image. It so happened that with the multiple problems my car had, I decided that it was unsafe for me to drive it. Plus my MOT ran out, and it was not worth taking the car to be tested, knowing that there would be an extremely high chance of it failing its test. And if it was to be repaired, repairs would most likely cost more than the car. This left me in a position where I had to use public transport (the train during rush hour is not the one). Upon my first day of commuting to work I saw a poster which strongly tugged on my heart string. The words on the poster pierced my heart, I cannot remember how it was worded exactly but these words stuck with me ‘the leading cause of death in young adults aged 20-34 is suicide’. I don’t know about you, but it really hurt me to read those words, especially because I myself am within that age bracket.
Even though Britain is a nation which is advanced in technology, is one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries on earth, is home to some of the world’s best schools, and arguably has the best health care system in the world. Suicide still seems to have a powerful stronghold upon our nation.
I’m sure that there are some people out there who do not think suicide is a problem in this nation, and will use statistics to justify their reasoning. But this matter is one in which I feel very strongly about, and is something which God has laid upon my heart to pray for! And the truth of the matter is that statistics are not 100% reliable. In fact they can distort our views on what is truly happening. I must admit that I have procrastinated with writing this blog, and the Spirit convicted me, and I thank Him for doing so. The reminder which prompted me to get on with adding more to this post and publishing it, was coming across a post about the British actor Sam Sarpong committing suicide. Yet again my heart began to ache at the news of another person taking their life. Suicide is a REAL PROBLEM, which does not take into consideration race, social background or celebrity status! Suicide can affect anyone and everyone!
I feel lead to share a personal testimony with y’all, just to highlight that this topic is not all doom and gloom. It is based on a story a colleague at work shared with me. I will not expose any of the names of the individuals involved in the story, in order to maintain peoples confidentially. So my colleague came and told me that he came across a patient who was hospitalised due to a failed suicide attempt. I could not help but to start praising God! My heart was filled with joy in abundance. At that moment in time I felt God telling me that my prayers concerning the issue of suicide, have not gone unheard. So I’d just like to encourage those who have been praying for people battling with suicide, God hears your cry. Before you have even opened your mouth He has answered AMEN! (Isaiah 65:24).
It is so easy for us to describe how amazing Gods creation is, how magnificent and mighty the sea is, but there’s always one thing most people forget. Which is WE are Gods most valuable work of art. We are great and good to look at! Just think of how complex one part of our body is, for example the eye! We must remember we are intricately designed and WE ARE SPECIAL!! We are the only part of creation made in Gods image! People I really want you to understand your value, so I’m going to paint you guys a picture. As a parent (or a human being) you problem find certain animals cute, or a particular piece of nature striking to look at. But I’m sure that even as fascinating as these animals or pieces of nature are, they are incomparable to the beauty of your own child. I’m sure many parents would say that their child/baby is the most beautiful thing in the world to them. It’s a mini them, a human being with their very own DNA in them. And I want to express to you that, that’s EXACTLY how God feels about you! You are His very own, made in His image and likeness! God is so proud when He looks at you! His heart leaps with joy when He looks at you. When He sees you, He sees beauty, splendour, magnificence, and the list GOES ON. And like most parents even when your child messes up you don’t stop loving them. Well I tell you, God is far better than all the great, amazing parents out there. And it doesn’t matter what type of mistake we make, GOD WILL STILL LOVE US! He loves unconditionally.
The devils purpose is to steal our joy, destroy our chances of a bright future, and ultimately take life (John 10:10). Satan loves to cease individuals of the opportunity to get to know Jesus Christ. He is an expert at telling lies, and he has had a few millennia to practise the art of deception. The thing is the devil knows we are filled with greatness, even more so than our own self. There are MANY MANY people out there who do not realise their potential to achieve great things, but the devil does. So his goal is to prevent us from knowing the truth. Unfortunately the devil has succeeded in deceiving some people that the only way to make things better, or completely remove the chances of failure, is to take their life. God has given us the authority NOT to let Satan’s plans succeed (Luke 10:19). Many great achievers where once called failures or had to try several times before getting their breakthrough! Just remember that failing does NOT make you a failure.
I can say that I am extremely passionate about this subject, and have a great zeal within me to do something about it! I want every single human being to know their value! Yes I know I can help by giving to a charity like the ‘Samaritans’, but I also long to play a practical role in tackling this issue. I desire to help England be set free from the bondage of the enemy, by reaching out to people who are battling with suicidal thoughts. I’m not sure exactly how I will go about it, but I have some ideas which I’m laying before God, whilst praying to Him for total direction. I want God to completely govern my thought process concerning this matter! I would also appreciate if you could support me, by uplifting me in prayer. What I have observed is that people do not become suicidal overnight, it’s a process which happens over a period of time, which could be long or short. But I believe it all stems from believing a lie, a lie of Satan! I believe that the best way to tackle suicide, is by preventing people from believing lies. This can help stop the process of individuals developing a suicidal thought pattern. I am someone who feels that, it is far better to prevent something from happening, than to patch up the symptoms.
With that said, my question to you all is, what will you do? We as Christians are called to care for our neighbour and to love others (Mark 12:31). I know you may not share the same passion as me regarding suicide, but I believe it can affect anyone whether directly or indirectly. For example when you are commuting home via the train, and you hear someone has jumped in the tracks, I’m sure all kind of thoughts rush through your mind. Such as ‘How will the persons family cope?’, ‘Did they have any loved ones?’. Lastly I’d just like to say that whatever way you choose to help will go a long way, as the famous saying states ‘Every little helps’. If you do not know how you can help, I’d just love to mention that prayer goes a VERY LONG WAY!
God bless wonderful ladies
Spread the word and enjoy your day.
Xxx