I had my first dealing with a suicide threat.
It happened just the other day. It was almost instinctive. Go into help mode. What can I do? How can I rescue? What do I say?
I didn't realize the aftermath. I didn't realize how I would be affected by it. Shaken up.
Growing up, I had my ups and downs, but for the most part I was a generally happy kid. A happy teenager. I had great friends, I was smart, I did extra curricular activities, I had a job. Life was good. I didn't have a perfect life. I had a few family struggles. I was bullied a bit. But I never let it take over my life. I was always positive and only focused on what I was blessed with. I have been blessed.
I had friends who had struggles. None of them threatened to take their own life. I knew it was a thing. I knew teenagers my age dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts. I knew kids struggling with bullying, sexuality, family problems, school problems, relationship problems would take their own life. But never did I think it would become a "thing".
After graduating, I heard a kid from my high school, who was well loved and well known, took his life because of the inner struggles he had and though he had a great group of friends, he felt lost, sad and alone. All I thought was I can't imagine feeling like there is absolutely no way out other than death.
I wish I could say I understand. But I don't. It breaks my heart daily that these thoughts are so strong in so many of teenagers lives today. That feeling of "it would be so much easier to just be done" is huge and living inside an unimaginable amount of our teenagers. The pressures of growing up and getting through high school are huge in this day and age and it seems like more and more kids feel lost and helpless.
I walked away from the situation feeling scared, sad and hopeless. I just want to cry out to these kids, YOU ARE LOVED. They are so loved. We are so loved. You are so loved. I just want to shake them and make them look up and see hope, love, faith, joy in immeasurable amounts. I just want to make love a tangible and visible thing to hand out and spread all over their lives so they can just see it flowing through them and into them. But I can't. The only thing I can do is talk to them. And share this:
No matter who you are, what you did, where you're from... you are LOVED. By me, by your teachers, by your friends, by your elders, by GOD. YOU ARE LOVED.
There is hope.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life"
It happened just the other day. It was almost instinctive. Go into help mode. What can I do? How can I rescue? What do I say?
I didn't realize the aftermath. I didn't realize how I would be affected by it. Shaken up.
Growing up, I had my ups and downs, but for the most part I was a generally happy kid. A happy teenager. I had great friends, I was smart, I did extra curricular activities, I had a job. Life was good. I didn't have a perfect life. I had a few family struggles. I was bullied a bit. But I never let it take over my life. I was always positive and only focused on what I was blessed with. I have been blessed.
I had friends who had struggles. None of them threatened to take their own life. I knew it was a thing. I knew teenagers my age dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts. I knew kids struggling with bullying, sexuality, family problems, school problems, relationship problems would take their own life. But never did I think it would become a "thing".
After graduating, I heard a kid from my high school, who was well loved and well known, took his life because of the inner struggles he had and though he had a great group of friends, he felt lost, sad and alone. All I thought was I can't imagine feeling like there is absolutely no way out other than death.
I wish I could say I understand. But I don't. It breaks my heart daily that these thoughts are so strong in so many of teenagers lives today. That feeling of "it would be so much easier to just be done" is huge and living inside an unimaginable amount of our teenagers. The pressures of growing up and getting through high school are huge in this day and age and it seems like more and more kids feel lost and helpless.
I walked away from the situation feeling scared, sad and hopeless. I just want to cry out to these kids, YOU ARE LOVED. They are so loved. We are so loved. You are so loved. I just want to shake them and make them look up and see hope, love, faith, joy in immeasurable amounts. I just want to make love a tangible and visible thing to hand out and spread all over their lives so they can just see it flowing through them and into them. But I can't. The only thing I can do is talk to them. And share this:
No matter who you are, what you did, where you're from... you are LOVED. By me, by your teachers, by your friends, by your elders, by GOD. YOU ARE LOVED.
There is hope.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life"
Well put <3
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