Surviving The Suicide Of A Love One

Introduction: Almost everyone here tonight knows someone or has been directly impacted by suicide. Often; we tend to place total emphasis on the final destiny of the victim. However; we frequently forget those who survive this overwhelming ordeal. Have you ever thought about the parents whose child committed suicide; or the wife of the husband who took her life? How do we as Christians assist them in this most dark period? How do we prevent them from blaming themselves? How do we stop them from thinking that they could have done more? How do we convince them that they didn’t fail? How do we help them to cope with pain that coffins can’t hold and memories that graves can’t bury? But more than that; how do we keep them from thinking their love one will burn in hell forever? This is a mental conundrum that has plagued many. Let me say that onset, all human destiny is God’s business and we should not trifle with it at all. The scriptures are clear concerning the incomparable ways of God and the great gap between His thoughts and man’s little feeble minds. Suicide victims end, is a load to cast on God; He can carry it for you!

I. What is Suicide?

Suicide means the act of purposely ending one’s own life. The contributing factors are too numerous to mention in totality. A few examples: Failure, pain, rejection, feeling of inadequacy, medicine, brain dysfunctions, feeling a lack of love and appreciation, emotional scars, temporary insanity, schizophrenia, anxiety, frustration with a lack of progress etc. Suicide unlike killing is murder. Killing may be caused by war times out of a necessity but murder is unlawful and not permissible. It is not my intent to deal with types of suicides whether assisted or not but the main emphasis tonight is helping the survivors to cope.

II. Symptoms of Suicidal Behavior:

• Excessive sadness or moodiness

• Feeling of hopelessness

• Long term sleep issues

• Sudden calmness

• Withdrawing from family

• Sudden change in personality and or appearance

• Dangerous or reckless behavior

• Constant talk about dying or wanting to die.

• Talk about being a burden to others

• Talk about feeling trapped by life

• Having a spirit of pessimism

• Wishing to be with deceased love ones

• Hanging in the cemetery

III. Why People Commit Suicide?

• Commitment to a cause that failed

• Death of a spouse

• Meaningless life

• Depending on love from others

• Feeling of hopelessness

• Physical pain

• Stress overload

• Misunderstanding of God

• Ignorance of the word

• A loss of faith in God to solve the problem

• A terminal illness (In Christ there is no terminal illness)

• A change that never seems to come

• To go to heaven

IV. Biblical Characters who had Death-Wishes:

• Elijah the PROPHET felt overwhelmed (I Kings 19:1-4)

• Moses the LAWGIVER felt overwhelmed (Num. 11:13-15)

• Jonah a PROPHET / PREACHER felt overwhelmed (Jonah 1:5-15)

• Job a SERVANT of God felt the load (Job 3:3 / 3:11 / Job 14:13-16)

V. Biblical Characters who Committed Suicide: (Note the variety)

• Abimelech, a JUDGE and a son of a JUDGE. (Judges 9:54) Note his reasoning; he didn’t want folk to think that a woman killed him.

• Samson, a JUDGE and a MIGHTY WARRIOR. (Judges 16:30)

• Saul, a KING. (I Sam. 31:4)

• Saul’s ARMOUR Bearer. (I Sam. 31:5)

• Ahithophel, a COUNSELOR (2 Sam. 17:23)

• Zimri, a KING. (I Kings 16:18)

• Judas, a PREACHER hung himself. (Matt. 27:3-5)

VI. How Can We Help Those Who Survive Suicide?

• Pray with them

• Hope with them

• Be available to them

• Keep Christ as the central theme or focus

• Show your love

• Be patient with them

• Don’t rush them to forget

• Never tell them to get over it

• Don’t try to explain what you can’t

• Remind them suicide is not listed in the word as an unpardonable sin

• Christ abolishes all our sins once we accept Him as Lord and Savior

• Where the bible is silent so should we

• Leave all judging to God who is the only ONE that knows all.

• Not only do we not know where the soul of a suicide person is, we don’t know where no one is.

• According to (Matt. 7:21-23), there will be a lot of religious folk that the Lord never knew.

Conclusion:

Suicide never kills just one person.

Suicide is not a remedy. (James A. Garfield)

Hope is a necessity for normal life and the major weapon against the suicide impulse. (Karl A. Menniger)

Drunkenness is temporary suicide. (Bertrand Russell)

Suicide circumvents the divine appointment.