Ultimate Rejection
by Charles Swindoll
A few years ago on Valentine’s day, a couple was enjoying a romantic drive along a wooded section near Belle Chasse, Louisiana. Something white, shimmering in the trees, caught their eyes. Their investigation led them to a dead teenager hanging from a limb, a white bedsheet knotted tightly around his neck. A farewell note, laced with despair, was near the trunk of the tree. It was addressed simply to "Mom and Dad."
"I never did develop into a real person and I cannot tolerate the false and empty existence I have created…What frustrated me most in the last year was that I had built no ties to family or friends. There was nothing of lasting worth or value. I led a detached existence…I am a bomb of frustration and should never marry or have children. It is safest to defuse the bomb harmlessly now…simply cremate me as John Doe."
Authorities circulated the youth’s description and fingerprints to police across the country. He was later buried - unidentified and unclaimed.
Grim and gripping though they are, such scenes and words are not that unusual. Time once was when a minister dealt with self-inflicted deaths only once every six to eight years…now it’s six to every eight months, and sometimes more than that. Our nervous age seems on trial for its life and the fuse on the powder keg is becoming shorter by the day!
Here are the facts - all of which can be documented. By the time you read them, the epidemic will be even more acute:
Once a minute someone in the United States attempts suicide.
Everyday, seventy Americans take their own life...that’s nearly three each hour - every day.
In this country, there are twenty-four percent more deaths by suicide than by murder.
In Los Angeles County, California, more people kill themselves than die in traffic accidents.
Suicide is the number nine cause of death in the United States. For Americans between fifteen and thirty years of age, it is the number three cause of death…it is the number two cause of death among teenagers.
The suicide rate for Americans under thirty years of age has increased three hundred percent in the past decade.
Until recently, women attempted suicide three times as often as men (but men succeeded three times more often).
The latest statistics show a drastic increase in successful attempts by women - especially young black women.
Four of five people who commit suicide have tried it previously. Unsuccessful attempters usually try again.
Contrary to popular opinion, people who threaten suicide often mean it. The old myth "those who talk don’t jump" is dangerously false. Threats should be taken seriously.
Suicide, the ultimate rejection of one’s self, plays no favourites and knows no limit. In my files and memory are unforgettable cases that span the extremes: a successful banker, a disillusioned divorcee, a runaway, the son of a missionary, a mother of three, a wealthy cartoonist, a professional musician, several collegians, a Marine, a retired Grandfather, a medical doctor, a middle-aged playboy, a brilliant accountant, a growing number of teens who were in junior and senior high schools. These individuals struggled with feelings of loneliness, worthlessness, insecurity, a lack of hope, intense perfectionism, alienation from meaningful relationships, and a tragic sense of feeling unloved and unlovely.
In all of this darkness there is one beacon of light. People considering suicide usually want to be rescued. They leave clues that read, "Help Me!" They drop hints, consciously or unconsciously, that announce their intentions.
Sensitive, concerned observers ought to be alert to the signals. Here are a few: 1.talk about suicide; 2 a sudden change in personality; 3 deep depression; 4 physical symptoms - sleeplessness, loss of appetite, decreased sexual drive, drastic weight loss, repeated exhaustion; 5 actual attempts; and 6 crisis situations - death of a loved one, failure at school, loss of a job, marital or home problems, and a lengthy or terminal illness.
These, of course, are not "sure signs," but anyone that seems unusually suspicious warrants your time and offer of help. Occasionally, all that is needed is someone to step in and be a friend…a listening ear…a support to lean on…a shelter in the time of storm. That’s Romans 15:1 in action. That’s genuine Body Life!
WE WHO ARE STRONG OUGHT TO BEAR THE WEAKNESSES OF THOSE WHITHOUT STRENGTH.
Certainly you should contact your physician or ask advice from your local suicide prevention hot-line if you become reasonably concerned. A close friend, a professional counsellor, a church officer, or a pastor might also be of valuable assistance. Don’t hesitate to seek advice.
The need is urgent…and always great. During the time it took you to read this, even people in America attempted to end their lives!
COME ASIDE:
As you consider this need, look again to Jesus, in Matthew 12:15-21.
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