As the Church, it can feel like we have to have it all together all of the time to avoid talking about where we are, where we’ve been, or what we’ve walked through. Our prayer is that this message is just the starting place for us to let go of those expectations and to be a church where we open up and ask Jesus to use our stories in order to shine His light into the darkness. If you are struggling with thoughts of taking your own life, please make the choice to stay and call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline @ 988
Mental Health, anxiety, depression, and suicide are not new issues for our society, but within the walls of the church, a new response is needed: one that recognizes the reality of circumstance and the pain associated with it in one hand and boldly proclaims that God is greater in the other. We don’t have to be okay all the time; Jesus is.
We are addicted to technology, and in a lot of ways, it’s causing a massive amount of harm. Anxiety, comparison, and bullying are driving a new generation into battles with depression at unprecedented rates. Almost all of us can attest that mental health struggles look as unique as we do, and because you can’t see them or touch them, it can be easy at times to grow frustrated when there’s no simple recourse, no easy way out. But this shouldn’t be a pass to throw up our hands and take a passive approach to the burden that so many are carrying day in and day out. As the Church, we will become more effective and more full of grace, mercy, and patience when we wake up to the power of the grip of darkness that people are struggling with in their lives.
Jesus is the light in the darkness. When you are alone, when you feel trapped, when you feel nothing at all, remember that there is an opportunity to step into the light and be with others who can walk with you, speak the truth to you, and help you believe in the victory you have in Jesus. You were never meant to walk through this valley on your own. Sometimes, it’ll just be having a friend who makes you laugh; sometimes, you’ll need someone to show up who has lived through it to tell you that life is worth living. It’s going to be okay. It’ll be bumpy, but you can endure by God’s grace. He is bigger than what you are facing. Depression is real, and it is a killer, but it is not bigger than Jesus.
The Church, your brothers and sisters, are here for you.
Key Takeaway
God loves you. He's with you. He will carry you. He will triumph over it all.
We used to avoid all of it. Those days are over.
We can't hide what's going on in our lives. Suicide is the fastest-growing cause of death among young people, and it's not uncommon for adults over 70. In 2017, a total of 47,173 people took their own life. That's 129 people per day or about 1 every 10 minutes. The Church cannot be silent anymore. The pressure to be okay is a heavy burden, and sometimes it is heaviest within the Church. We are a faith community and the perception is that our faith is supposed to be stronger than in the world. Our songs are songs of victory, so when you come through the door feeling defeated, like you're losing your mind and like you can't be honest- that's a heavy weight to carry. The Church should be here to help you carry it.
The Church, in large part, has taught that suicide is an unpardonable sin. That is a huge stigma. Scripture doesn't support that. The Gospels say explicitly that the unpardonable sin is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. That means that someone continually rejects the wooing of the Holy Spirit over and over in their lifetime. Suicide isn't an unpardonable sin, but in the context of Scripture, it is a sin. However, according to Romans 3:23, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Even suicide is covered by the blood of Jesus. The Church asks questions like, isn't faith enough? You're a Christian; shouldn't you overcome depression and your struggle? Is medication and/or therapy ok? Is a treatment facility ok? The message from the Church needs to be clear, and it's not, "You need to pray more." We've all been around long enough to know that it is not that simple. The clear statement of the Church should be "it's okay to not be okay". If you need help, get it. All plans for healing are God's plans for healing.
The Church needs to de-stigmatize, but we also need to de-glamorize suicide. The enemy has a way of making everything horrible and glamorous.
The suicide contagion. When someone famous takes their life, the following months will see a massive rise in not only the rate of suicide but the same manner. It starts the lie that suicide is and can be a good thing. Suicide tells us that everyone will be better off when you're gone. That's glamorizing it. It's not better for you or anyone else if you take your own life. It's not God's purpose or plan for you. You may be free from your earthly pain, but you're going to trap all those around you in a different kind of pain for the rest of their lives. Those you love will be left behind to live their lives with guilt. questions, self-doubt, pain, and anger for as long as they live. They'll know intellectually that it wasn't really you that made that decision and it was actually the darkness, but it will be agonizing to their soul. Suicide doesn't alleviate pain; it multiplies it. So, stay, even in the pain and trust God to give you a miracle of another day.
The Church has to be honest and real. The last thing the world needs is a fake Church.
Jesus is not fake or veneer. He came to heal the sick. We can never forget where we've been and what we've come through. When you are on the road to healing, it is easy to want to shut the door to the past season, but God has given you a story to steward. We all have defeat in our stories. The worst thing we can do is make it out to the other side and then act like we didn't go through the pain it took to get there.
The message isn't just "it's okay to not be okay." The total message is, "It's okay to not be okay, but Jesus is."
You have to finish the sentence. He is the victor with scars and has overcome on your behalf. The enemy tempted Jesus to take his own life and jump off the temple wall. Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, and the enemy purposely picked a weak moment to attack. Yet Jesus, knowing full well what he was preparing to face, knew He'd come out on the other side victorious. When He was dying on the Cross, one of his closest friends was dying by suicide, so don't think Jesus doesn't understand our pain. Because Jesus came through the darkness, we can say that we are not okay, but Jesus is. Confessing and bringing Jesus into the darkness brings a glimmer of light into the blackout of depression. That one ray of light can give you another of life. You can be broken down and still confess Jesus is the healer at the same time.
Our words help determine our destiny, so if you keep saying I'm not going to make it, you're increasing your chances that you won't. You are agreeing with the enemy because your Father doesn't talk like that. The counterweight to the weight is saying, "I will make it through." Circumstances cannot fully corroborate the faithfulness of God. Sometimes circumstances are the exact opposite of everything we believe about God, but the Cross does corroborate the faithfulness of God. It stands in history as proof that God is good even in the darkest night. So use the power of your mouth to confess the power of the Cross. Confess Psalm 118:17: "I will not die, but I will live and declare what the Lord has done."
The Church needs to create an understanding that God may not take all the pain away on this earth.
You may not need to pray for God to alleviate the pain; you may need to trust that God can use the pain to bring eternal good and eternal change to you and those around you. The Church needs to say, "Take the pain to Jesus and find that there is purpose in the pain." There was purpose in Jesus' pain, and it was for our healing. He can carry you and your pain one more day so He can use you and your pain to unlock doors for prisoners and set captives free. At the end of the day, it's all about Jesus. Suicide is the ultimate rebuttal that you are created by and for God's glory. When you choose to end your life, you cannot glorify God in that way. You glorify God by staying in it and leaning on it. If you need help, get help, but stay for God and His glory. You have more power than the enemy wants you to know that you have. You have the power to praise God in the darkest night. In all things, God works. Start in Romans 8 and read all the way through. There's no condemnation or separation from the love of God, not even life or death. See Romans 8:1, 38-39.
Discussion Questions
- Mental health and suicide are, no doubt, very heavy topics. How has the Church helped or hindered people seeking healing in this area?
- One of the most helpful things Louie talked about was having a friend who had been through something similar before who came to walk alongside him. Is there a time in your life where someone has helped you in a hard/dark time, not by solving it but just by being with you?
- What demographic has the fastest-growing issue with suicide and mental health? Did the stats surprise you at all?
- Why do people feel like they can't be honest in the Church about struggling with these topics?
- According to Mark 3:29, what is the unpardonable sin? Is this different than what you have been taught?
- The enemy makes suicide look like a good option, but what effect does it actually have on those who are a part of that person's life? What happens to the pain?
- Do our words have power over how we perceive our life? Who are you agreeing with if you are repeating dark thoughts over your life? What could it sound like to acknowledge the pain you're in and still proclaim the hope that Jesus brings to your life?
- What is the correlation between circumstances, the faithfulness of God, and the Cross?
- Why do we have a hard time reconciling that our pain may not be alleviated on this earth?
- How can you support someone in your life who is struggling? Louie mentions that all healing comes from God: Do you know of local resources that could provide help for someone in your life who is struggling?
Scripture References
