1. "No one cares if I live or die."
Everyone needs a
place to belong. Everyone needs people who are there
for them, will encourage them and accept them. The
great line from the "Cheers" TV show theme was
that we all need a place "where everybody knows your
name." While I agree with the sentiment I think
there's a better place to fulfill the desire. May I
suggest you look to Jesus and His church? There
truly is strength in numbers. The Bible says, “Two
are better than one, because they have a good reward
for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up
his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he
falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if
two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one
keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail
against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a
threefold cord is not quickly broken”
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). This should also impress
every Christian with the personal responsibility of
reaching out to the isolated in the church, whether
it is of their own doing or that of someone else.
There’s nothing worse than feeling lonely in a
crowd.
2. "I'm afraid."
I knew a young man
who took his life because he had done some things
that were going to have some pretty stiff
consequences. Instead of dealing with them, he shot
himself. There is no obstacle or circumstance,
however unpleasant, that God cannot help us through,
with, over or under. Sometimes the aftermath of our
actions may be quite unpleasant. But they can be
worked through. No one has so sinned that God cannot
help. King David learned this, didn’t he? After his
adulterous tryst with Bathsheba and his murderous
cover-up, David could have chosen to take his own
life. But God still had life for David to live (1
Samuel 12—13). The Bible says, "Submit therefore to
God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your
hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:7,8)
3. "I don't know what else to do."
When I was a kid my dad once told me that the Bible
had the answers to the most important questions in
life. He was right. Jeremiah said, "I know, O Lord,
that a man's way is not in himself; Nor is it in a
man who walks to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23).
It's no wonder that we get lost when we stop
following His directions. But as long as you're this
side of the grave, you're not past the point of no
return. Find God's answer to your problems. If you
don't know how to start, give us a call. We'd love
to help.
