June Hunt - Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless

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Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless
Copyright 2013 Hope For The Heart
All rights reserved.
Published by Aspire Press
An imprint of Hendrickson Publishing Group
Rose Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 3473
Peabody, Massachusetts 01961-3473 USA
www.HendricksonPublishingGroup.com

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SUICIDE PREVENTION

Hope When Life Seems Hopeless

JUNE HUNT

• Gives practical advice and Biblical wisdom from June Hunt, a biblical counselor whose award-winning radio program Hope For The Heart is heard on more than 900 radio outlets around the world. For more than 25 years, she has counseled people, offering them hope for todays problems.
• Covers the steps to identifying and preventing suicide using practical advice and Biblical wisdom.
• Explains the characteristics of a person in danger of committing suicide, including the 3 sages of potential suicide, what emotions to watch for, and more.

Dear Friend,

I remember the scene like it was yesterday. From my freshman days in college, I still remember my simple question. Rosie, are you all right?

I had just walked into my dorm room after dinner on campus ... but something seemed very wrong . What I saw looked strange at firstthen startling. My sweet, joyful roommate was sprawled across her bed, awkwardly angled and glassy-eyed. She did not respond to my question and when I attempted to rouse her, she was like a limp doll.

Instinctively, I looked around the room for any indication of trouble. Sure enough, there was a stash of bottles open bottlesonce containing pills. Apparently, this mound of missing pills was all mixed together, dissolving inside Rosies stomach.

Immediately my heart began to race. Time was of the essence. Her life was in the balance. I ran across the street back to the cafeteria where I had earlier seen my brother, Ray.

Please, God, keep him in the cafeteria! Dont let him leave! Within moments, I dashed through the tall wooden doorway and then abruptly stopped. Lord, help me find him , I pleaded.

Scanning the heads of hundreds of students, I stood frozen, feeling as if my heart would beat out of my chest. Finally, spying his short blond hair, I hurried to him and blurted out, Rosie attempted suicide! Quickhelp me!

We rushed back to my dorm and up to the 3 rd floor. Scooping her into his arms, Ray carried her out to my car. Driving as fast as I could, we took her to the college health clinic.

The medical staff began pumping Rosies stomach. I sat in the waiting room and prayed for what seemed like an eternity. Finally a doctor came out and pronounced, Shes going to make it. Whewwe made it in time! Thankfully, her life had been saved.

In the wee hours of the morning, I returned to our room alone . After collapsing fully clothed on my bed, I began ruminating for over an hour on what had just happened. To begin with, Rosie was the last person I would have linked with suicide. Then I had this realization: Someone I consider a precious friend now seems like a stranger. Here is someone I know and love, and yet I know nothing about the most painful part of her lifethe part of her heart thats lost all hope. What could possibly have caused her to want to end her life?

And that led me to another realization: All around us there are people with hidden pain and some have lost all hope. They feel so helpless and hopeless that theyre looking for a way to escape.

For many days, Rosie stayed in the clinic recuperating from her overdose and being evaluated by doctors.

Every evening, as I visited her, we would talk for hours. During one of our earlier conversations, I asked, Rosie, what has been so painful that you lost your will to live? Her answer deeply grieved me, filling my heart with both pain and compassion. Rosie had experienced the haunting trauma of childhood sexual abuse , and the sickening memories had been tormenting her soul. She had suffered aloneshe had never told a soul.

But that very evening, she had taken her first step toward healing. She had shared the secret. The victimizers power is in manipulating the victim to keep the secret . Yet now the secret was out! I also shared her painful truth with a caring, responsible relativeher uncle who was committed to helping Rosie deal with the difficult family dynamics.

Even though her life was saved, there was so much I did not know about helping someone who struggles with suicide. How I wish Id known then what I know now . So many struggle with the devastation of feeling powerless to stop the pain. Most people who commit suicide dont really want to die; they just want the pain to stop .

If you are in such pain, my first words of counsel are, Tell someone . Its vital that you tell someone whats causing you such pain because only then can hope, help, and healing begin to occur. Jesus says, The truth will set you free (John 8:32). Plus, you will no longer be alone in your torturous struggle.

Regardless of where you are in your life right now, if God is leading you or preparing you to come alongside a struggler who has lost hope, pray to have the right heart Gods heart . His heart is tender and full of compassion toward those experiencing deep pain. The Bible says, The L ORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion (Isaiah 30:18). He feels the emotional, spiritual, and physical agony that engulfs the lives of those teetering on the brink of absolute hopelessness. And from Gods tender heart springs forth words of wisdom; life-transforming truths that truly affirm life.

As you read these words on this significant subject, you will learn how to better reflect Gods heart to help those who are hurting, and you will gain practical insight on what to say and what to do. My prayer is that the truths in this book will have a powerful impact in your life, equipping you to literally save the life of someone struggling with thoughts of suicide.

Yours in the Lords hope,

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 23:18)

SUICIDE PREVENTION

Hope When Life Seems Hopeless

I just want to die.

This aching admission has been spoken too many timesand with tragic results. These five words reveal a soul mired in the depths of despair. All hope is gone, and all too soon, so is life itself.

No group is exempt from wanting to walk down this dark path of escape. Male and female, young and old, rich and poorall are found among these fatal statistics. Yet most people contemplating suicide dont really want to die they just want the pain to stop . Their burden seems too heavy to bear.

If youre struggling, if youre desperate, if youre contemplating taking your life, realize this: The Lord longs to heal your heart and restore your hope. In absolute honesty, go to God about your pain.