Many in our nation say, “God is not real, or He really is not enough.”
I sit here with a heavy heart tonight, attempting to write my blog. I carry a massive burden for the brokenhearted and the lost. Why?
Last week I was out of town for a few days. I received a text from a friend, sharing with me a young man had taken his life. Two hours later, another friend texted me sharing of another high school youth who took his life. Two young men lost their battle, their hope. Her next words were short and sharp. We need prayer!
Our county needs prayer, our state needs prayer, and our country is in desperate need of prayer!
Did you know Colorado has one of the highest suicide statistics in our nation? Why? I can’t give you the answer. What I can say is one, just one is too many. It makes me angry! If you have read my previous blogs, you know my history. If not, my husband decided to end his life three years after my son was killed in a drunk driving crash.
I couldn’t understand it then, and I can’t understand it today. Don’t get me wrong, as I do understand being in that deep level of pain. I also felt I wanted to get away from all my suffering. Every day was challenging to get up and face. How did you do it, others have asked? I just chose to make it through one day at a time. One day became one week, then one month, and here I am fifteen years later. I couldn’t do it on my own. I had to dig deep into the word of God. I had to stand on his promise that he would bring me through all of it, everything! He promised. He delivered.
Not every story is the same. What I do know, those who truly know their God in their heart, the great physician, seem to come through the fires more than those who don’t. The world does not want us to share this great gift we have, and that healing is available to us. They want to destroy every facet of the truth there is. We need to be politically correct so as not to offend anyone.
My pastor spoke on unbelief this morning. He shared how unbelief and doubt was a sin. If we don’t talk about Jesus, do we truly believe? If we as believers don’t talk about Him, who will? Who will tell the brokenhearted and lost there is something far more significant than this darkened and tormenting pain encompassing every aspect of their life? The feeling that death permeates every crevice of their lives. They need to know there is more than what we see here on earth. Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’ I have come to give you a life of abundance. Apart from me, you can’t do anything. Through Him, we can do all things that strengthen us. Jesus IS the beacon of light in the darkness! He is our hope.
The world has shut us up! Many pulpits choose to remain silent. We have children in some cases as young as nine taking their lives. We have Twenty-two veterans a day choosing to do the same. When will we stand up and push back against this crisis? We often look to something other than the Lord for help. I know depression is no respecter of persons. Some people seem to be more susceptible genetically or like myself things happened to them they didn’t choose. I am thankful I sought godly counseling after my loss. In all honesty, my hope and my restoration were found only in the Lord.
I am not a professional and my statements are not meant to offend anyone. I know there are many instances that do require medical intervention. I would be remiss to say otherwise. My heart hurts so deeply for anyone struggling with that depth of hopelessness and despair. The truth is it may go on for a long time but, it will not last forever. Therefore, I share my story, my journey, and my truth as I know it. I made it. I am still here, and I want others to see in their deepest pain, no matter what they are going through, it isn’t forever. Please, don’t lose your hope! For when we lose our hope and purpose that is the most dangerous place to be.
Our children are getting information full of lies and deception from many sources that are evil and demonic. We must defeat these lies with the truth. Our friends, and our families desperately need to know there is more out there than what is right before them. They need to realize that they have meaning, their footprint matters, and they are loved.
Today is the day we must pull things down and destroy them!! We can’t keep speaking defeat and expect victories. We are called to be radical for Jesus!
In the words of my pastor this morning. If there is a rabid dog outside, we don’t just run it off. We need to take whatever means necessary to confine it, stopping the spread of it. Folks what we have going on here is far worse than a rabid dog. It is spiritual warfare that will take more than prayer to destroy. It will take the body of Christ, rising in the power that is inside of us!!
We need to use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down strongholds of human reasoning. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do. ~ 2 Corinthians 9:5,7.
The Lord says He is watching and will carry out all His plans. He told Jeremiah He knew him before he was formed in his mother’s womb. God put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth and appointed him to stand up against nations and kingdoms! He also told him to “get up and prepare for action!” I don’t know how you interpret that, but I don’t see anywhere in that scripture that says sit down and be quiet or politically correct.
“Get up and prepare for action.
Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.
Do not be afraid of them,
or I will make you look foolish in front of them.
18 For see, today I have made you strong
like a fortified city that cannot be captured,
like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.
You will stand against the whole land—
the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.
19 They will fight you, but they will fail.
For I am with you, and I will take care of you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
We must become bold, speak the truth, share the words God gives us and be a light in the darkness. We need to reclaim the territory we have relinquished to the enemy. There is a battle for our souls, for our loved ones, and you need to know your enemy. Our military would never enter a battle unprepared. We need to rebuild our communities to be a safe harbor for the brokenhearted and the lost.
Lastly, the families and friends losing a loved one to suicide find themselves in grief like no other, often left struggling to understand. We need to give them an abundance of love and support. There should never be any judgment or shame. I lived under that shame for years. They also need to know their loved one’s life mattered here on earth. I believe we need to remove this cloak of shame and start talking about it more publicly. If we can save one, then we have made a difference. If you or someone you know has contemplated suicide, PLEASE talk about it, get help. It is a conversation worth having.
Will you join me in helping others find their hope and restoration?
(C)Beverly Shoemaker 2019
Beverly Shoemaker 