Lately, there seems to be a rash of
suicides that has shocked our country. Well-known celebrities, who seem to have
the world at their feet have experienced depression and despair and have taken
their own lives. Some we have lost include Robin Williams, Kate Spade, Jonathan
Brandis, Kurt Cobain, Alexander McQueen, Don Cornelius, Simone Battle, Owen Wilson,
and Lee Thompson Young. Then there are those who accidently killed themselves
through alcohol and drug abuse, such as Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston and her
daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, Prince, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Janis
Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and the list goes on. In addition, there is
an increasing trend of mass shootings ending in suicide across the country.
The map below shows the 2016 results of a
report compiled by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention1. The
statistics are alarming. According to the report, 45,000 lives were lost to suicide
in 2016, more than twice the number of homicides. Among ages 15-34, suicide is
the second-leading cause of death2. Much of the problem is due to
alcohol and drug abuse. “The CDC has calculated
that suicides from opioid overdoses nearly doubled between 1999 and 20142.”
As an educator for 23 years and more currently
a counselor at a school for at-risk students, I have increasingly been involved
with students who have considered killing themselves. Last year our district
formally introduced a “safety plan” to address the increasing cases of
depression and thoughts of suicide among our youth. We hear these incidents
more frequently in the news daily. I have stopped watching the news. It greatly
saddens me to hear stories of depression and despair and wasted lives.
There is a war intensifying in our world
that is being overlooked. Satan has declared all out war, especially on our
youth, that goes unnoticed. In Revelation 12, a war in heaven is described when
the Archangel Michael victoriously led his angels against Satan and cast him out
of heaven and into the earth. The Kingdom of Heaven rejoiced because the “accuser”
has been conquered. He was conquered by the blood of Christ, who is able to
save us and redeem us from Satan. However, a warning is given: “Woe
to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you
with great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Revelation 12:12). The battle is escalating, and we can
see it in the news daily.
Our society
at large sees these social problems of suicides, mass shootings, and violence
as an increase in mental health issues. Let us not deceive ourselves. This is a
war between good and evil, an all-out confrontation between God and an angry
Satan, who knows he does not have much time left. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). This war is between love and hatred. The devil
intends to steal as many as he can from the loving arms of God. The devil uses
our selfishness to drive others out of our lives. He uses loneliness to isolate
us from God and those who love us. He uses depression to stir hatred of
ourselves. He uses drugs and alcohol to
destroy any love left in us. Satan drives us to despair. This war affects our
young people the most, and they have no defense. There is no defense in a
Godless world. Those who have succumbed to suicide and violence live in a
Godless world of their own making.
More and more each day, God is
being removed from our society. He was removed from our schools when prayer was
prohibited and from public places when the commandments were removed from the
Oklahoma State Capitol. God was removed from our speech, when it became
inappropriate to say we were on Christmas or Easter vacation. Now we take
winter and spring breaks. Christians who believe that homosexuality is wrong
have been labeled “haters,” and those who profess their Christian beliefs are
mocked and ridiculed as narrow-minded and naïve. The German supermarket Lidl
and Nestlé have removed the cross from the image of the Anastasis Church in
Santorini on their labels so as “not to
hurt sensibility of other religions.3”
Only the love of God can
conquer evil. Depression causes us to fall into a state of self-preoccupation. It
isolates us from others, especially from those we love and love us. It is a
form of selfishness, which can lead to despair and hopelessness. Depression can
only be staved off by coming out of the cycle of self-preoccupation by showing love
to others. When we give love, we are giving our life purpose and meaning.
Christ taught, “It is more blessed to
give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The Greek word for blessed translated means
“happy, having a peaceful soul.” Thus, acting in love and giving love is what
makes us happy in life. The only hope we have is in Christ, who brings light
into the darkness of our world and who gives us the ability to love others as He
loves us. “But God proves his love for us
in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). A godless
world has no hope, since there is no heaven or eternal life. A godless world
does not know the love of God.
As the world darkens around us, it is up
to Christians to be lights of the world through our love and good works. “You
are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No
one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the
lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In
the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your
good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). We are Christ’s ambassadors to the
world. When God places opportunities in our paths, we must take up His banner
and “pursue righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the
faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called” (1 Timothy
6:12-13).
For those who
do not yet know the love of Christ, simply ask Christ to reveal Himself to you.
Repent of your sins, of those times you did not show love toward others. Christ
will respond, and you will have an opportunity to know Him personally. Ask Him
to lead you to a church where you will grow as a Christian and thrive. Ask
Christ to reveal His love to you. You will be blown away!
If you know
anyone who suffers from depression or has expressed thoughts of suicide, you
can call the National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number at 1-800-273-8255.
3 https://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/10/15/nestle-removes-christian-cross-greek-yogurt-packaging/
© 2018 Helen Kamenos
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http://www.helenkamenos.com/
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