When I think of suicide I think of the questions of suffering and a sovereign God because my first experience with suicide pushed me in my faith to seek God with that very question. I often asked, “Why, God, would someone take their life when they seemed happy and had a loving family? Why is there so much suffering in the world that it can push someone to take their life?”
My experience witnessing the effects of a suicide was after I had returned home from a mission trip with my youth group. I was on a spiritual high after soaking in the goodness of God for a week. Sure, I witnessed a lot of poverty that week, but I saw God moving in awesome ways. I was so excited to be home and tell my parents about my time, but as soon as I sat in the car my mom looked at me and said, did you know Peter? I could tell from her face that something awful had happened. I said yes with hesitation. She told me that Peter had committed suicide. The weight of the world came crashing down on me again.
I could somewhat understand suffering in the environment I had just been in; one of poverty, racism, and little opportunity, but Peter was privileged, popular, and even went to church. I had no idea that he was struggling because I was not close with him, but I had gone to school with him for 6 years. From the outside it seemed Peter had a good life because he had a good family that provided abundantly for him, popularity, and he even went to a good church. It was completely unexpected for me. That’s why it shook me. I couldn’t understand why someone with a “good life” would try to find a way to escape it. I suddenly realized that no one is immune to the feelings of hopelessness that can lead to suicide, not even a popular boy from the suburbs.
The truth was Peter was struggling with depression and that is what led him to make the decision. Depression is the leading cause of suicide (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education). It’s a real illness and we need to show love to those who struggle with it. Even the strongest of Christians can struggle with depression; for example, Charles Spurgeon, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and Jonathan Edwards. Those leading figures in church history have battled depression! Even Pastor Rick Warren’s son committed suicide earlier this year. Christians are not immune to feeling hopeless.
After working through the questions and seeking God in this matter I think the best thing we can do is point those struggling back to our hope which is in Christ. Like Paul prayed for the Romans, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13) we should pray the same for our brothers and sisters in Christ. This should be our prayer and desire because our hope is ultimately found in Christ alone. God gave us hope through the grace shown to us by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We no longer have to fear condemnation because Christ was the atoning sacrifice for our sins. “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14) “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
We need to cling onto the hope we have in Christ that brings no condemnation and eternity spent with Him! Not only that, but we need to point each other to that hope in a world that often feels hopeless. We are not primarily in an individual faith journey, but we are part of a community. God did not intend for us to go through life alone. He intended for the church to sacrificially love one another and to point each other back to where our hope is found. We are not perfect; we need community to point us back to truth.
Carly Winterstein
My experience witnessing the effects of a suicide was after I had returned home from a mission trip with my youth group. I was on a spiritual high after soaking in the goodness of God for a week. Sure, I witnessed a lot of poverty that week, but I saw God moving in awesome ways. I was so excited to be home and tell my parents about my time, but as soon as I sat in the car my mom looked at me and said, did you know Peter? I could tell from her face that something awful had happened. I said yes with hesitation. She told me that Peter had committed suicide. The weight of the world came crashing down on me again.
I could somewhat understand suffering in the environment I had just been in; one of poverty, racism, and little opportunity, but Peter was privileged, popular, and even went to church. I had no idea that he was struggling because I was not close with him, but I had gone to school with him for 6 years. From the outside it seemed Peter had a good life because he had a good family that provided abundantly for him, popularity, and he even went to a good church. It was completely unexpected for me. That’s why it shook me. I couldn’t understand why someone with a “good life” would try to find a way to escape it. I suddenly realized that no one is immune to the feelings of hopelessness that can lead to suicide, not even a popular boy from the suburbs.
The truth was Peter was struggling with depression and that is what led him to make the decision. Depression is the leading cause of suicide (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education). It’s a real illness and we need to show love to those who struggle with it. Even the strongest of Christians can struggle with depression; for example, Charles Spurgeon, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and Jonathan Edwards. Those leading figures in church history have battled depression! Even Pastor Rick Warren’s son committed suicide earlier this year. Christians are not immune to feeling hopeless.
After working through the questions and seeking God in this matter I think the best thing we can do is point those struggling back to our hope which is in Christ. Like Paul prayed for the Romans, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13) we should pray the same for our brothers and sisters in Christ. This should be our prayer and desire because our hope is ultimately found in Christ alone. God gave us hope through the grace shown to us by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We no longer have to fear condemnation because Christ was the atoning sacrifice for our sins. “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14) “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
We need to cling onto the hope we have in Christ that brings no condemnation and eternity spent with Him! Not only that, but we need to point each other to that hope in a world that often feels hopeless. We are not primarily in an individual faith journey, but we are part of a community. God did not intend for us to go through life alone. He intended for the church to sacrificially love one another and to point each other back to where our hope is found. We are not perfect; we need community to point us back to truth.
Carly Winterstein