Surrender your mind
The growing incidence of suicide not only among celebrities but among ordinary people evidently shows how weak we have become against the clutches of depression. There is no exception. Rich or poor, male, female or gay, have been afflicted by that dreaded state of mind.
The circumstances that surround us, that tug on our emotions and give us a deep melancholia aggravate the onslaught and make us more prone to taking our own lives.
There are many causes to this disease. Foremost is abuse. A physical or emotional abuse that somehow affects the balance of a person’s stress management pulls down the defenses of a person against taking his or her own life.
Other causes include side effects of medications, conflict, death or the loss of a loved one, whether to death or through unfaithfulness, genetics, serious illnesses and the like.
Where the natural tendency of man is of selfpreservation, the somehow twisted view of escape from anxiety and extreme sadness is to take one’s life. It is said in the Bible that God will not test us beyond endurance.
As stated in 1 Corinthians 10:13-14, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.”
The thought of taking one’s life is some form of idolatry. When it occupies your mind, it makes you fixated on an escape route that in truth you can never escape from anymore. For the truth is, once a person dies, his hope dies with him.
Many businessmen take their lives when their business folds up or when their names are attached to wrong deals that make other people hound them. They lose their peace of mind. And they get enclosed in fear that they forget to surrender to God.
Others are fortunate to be caught in the embrace of the Lord, when their knees have the humility to fold before God and cry out for help. For what is written in Philippians 4:13 where it says “I can do all things through him who gives me strength” is true for those who are broken and humble enough to acknowledge that through no effort of their own can they save themselves.
It is noticeably apparent, redundant as it may seem that people who take their lives have not been close enough to God. They do not know Him and His nature.
Our God is omniscient and omnipotent. He knows us more than we know ourselves and only He can help us through a rough patch in our lives. Our not being able to hurdle our difficulties is because we rely so much on ourselves. We have to call on God to ask Him to help us. We will never be perfect on our own. And I agree that even with Christ in our lives we may continue to stumble. But because He is there we stand up again, walk again, live again. He forgives and restores.
So if you are in the crossroads now, do not take on to the rope or the pills or whatever instrument that will harm your chance of eternity. Instead, focus your mind on God. His promise of healing, not just our bodies but our lives are real. Take heart and dig these truths by taking off the shelves your dusty Bibles and read. God bless you.
My campaign for Cebuano Bibles continues. Should you want to give to our cause to help some of our patients in our community clinic study deeper the word of God, please send your gift of Cebuano Bibles to Business After Business at The Freeman or email me if you need your gift to be picked up. In Christ, I thank you.