No One Knows
I don’t even remember the circumstance, as it was many years ago, but I was having a bad day. It seemed to me that my family might’ve been better off without me. I was driving down the road when a fleeting thought passed through my mind. It would be so easy to just drive into that big tree, and all my pain and suffering would end. Well, the thought passed, and I didn’t act on it. I’m not suicidal and never really was. My point is, if I had this passing thought, I know many have and are even contemplating suicide at this moment.
Suicides are increasing, and there has been a rash of celebrities taking their lives who seemed on the surface to have it all. I was in church one day, and the guest minister was speaking about suicide. He called to the altar all those who were considering suicide as a solution. I was astounded at the number, especially the young people, who went forward.
We all know suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. A friend shared an article on a study of those who had actually jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA. The study interviewed those who had miraculously survived. 90% of those who jumped on the way down regretted their decision. Of the survivors, no one went on to completion. So to all of you who are thinking that suicide is the answer to your problems, I am saying it’s not. The answer is reaching out to others for help and looking up from the bottom of the dark hole you’re in to see God who is waiting to help you. You are never alone. Suicide is never the solution.
No One Knows
You see me on the outside, but no one knows
Others think everything is fine, but you know it isn’t so
The suffering within, those unseen tears
Secret thoughts you have hidden for years
Afraid, isolated, feeling all alone
Never having a safe place to feel at home
No person you think can ever understand
They don’t know, but you have an escape plan
You keep trying so hard each and every day
Looking and searching to find your way
From the bottomless pit you see no glimmer of light
It seems easier and easier to give up the fight
Passing refrains, mind echoes, whispers of suicide
You wish those words of the solution were untrue, all lies
But the suffering, the darkness, the lingering pain
It all seems to be pushing you, driving you closer to insane
There is something lacking, something gone amiss
Life is unhinged, it’s too great of risk
The increasing layer on layer of pain hurts your heart
Trying to pretend otherwise, makes it all a farce
You are tired of persisting; you don’t want to live any longer
You pray to God you wish you were stronger
All these spectrally thoughts you know are wrong
With no avail you're approaching your last final song
You plead for just a small wraith of hope
Something to cling to, for your mind to cope
Anything to find to release this deadly grip of despair
Finally you accept that life is just always unfair
But His promise is to not leave, to not forsake
Can you just have the patience to persist and wait
Someway somehow God can make it all right
When you can finally walk by faith, not by sight
So you outreach into the dark night to find His hand
With trust you know by your side He will forever stand
You bask in His eternal love, strength, and care
Now, there is no pain too great for you to bear
-Dr. Rhonda Milner
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'” Isaiah 30:21
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
"For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6
"We live by faith not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7
"For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome world, even our faith." I John 5:4
