Suicide: In Memoriam

Pastor Jarrid Wilson committed suicide on Monday, September 9, 2019. He was 30 years old, and leaves behind a wife and two young children.

Some Christ followers say depression, anxiety and suicide are signs of weakness, displayed by those who simply don’t “pray enough” or “believe enough” or have so-called “hidden sin.” If one is still struggling with these “sinful maladies,” the thinking goes, it’s because the person is either bewitched by Satan or has a serious lack of faith in God.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but that’s a load of manure.

A few months ago I had what I thought was a loyal follower to my Facebook ministry page, Demonkill Ministries. He “loved” just about everything I did, saying, “Love this!!” and “So inspiring!!” That is, until one day I dared suggest Christians sometines get to the point where they need counseling in their lives (as I have twice in my life) and that was crossing a line with this guy.

“This is sorcery!” he wrote. “All counseling is a trick of the devil to get inside your mind. Christians don’t need counseling, all we need is JESUS!! I’m SO done with this page, dude,” and he unfriended and blocked me in one fell swoop.

This is the kind of ignorance we who struggle with emotional issues have to deal with. If we say we need help, these people respond, “Help? You got JESUS don’cha??!!”

Of COURSE Jesus heals, but we also need each other. I believe sometimes God uses the expertise, education and experience of others to bring about our healing.

The Bible is filled with people who suffered depression, including King David and Elijah the Prophet. Those of us who suffer know the struggle. We understand the night terrors and the day sweats. We know all too well these are REAL issues, suffered by kindhearted, God-loving people. To those like me who have dealt with such emotional despairity, it is IMPERATIVE we reach out for help when we feel we are losing the battle against suicidal thoughts.

One of Jarrid’s last Tweets said, “Loving Jesus doesn’t always cure suicidal thoughts. Loving Jesus doesn’t always cure depression. Loving Jesus doesn’t always cure PTSD. Loving Jesus doesn’t always cure anxiety. But that doesn’t mean Jesus doesn’t offer us companionship and comfort. He ALWAYS does that.”

So true. Loving Jesus doesn’t mean your problems disappear, but it DOES mean you have an everlasting source of comfort. You have an eternal hope many others don’t have.

Even those who know all the right Bible verses, churchy catchphrases and Christian lingo can be overcome with depression and hopelessness. Growing up I heard people say “Jesus said, I believe it, that settles it.” This seems to imply that all healing just HAPPENS, in a “name it and claim it” fashion. If this is true, why wasn’t the Apostle Paul healed of his afflictions?

In 2nd Corinthians 12, after a season of prayer and fasting, begging the Lord for healing, God told Paul, “My strength is made perfect in your weakness. When you are weak, I am strong. My grace is sufficient for you.”

Darkness doesn’t just go away, you have to press in toward the light of Christ and allow Him to chase away the shadows. Jesus CAN heal the most shattered of hearts, but oftentimes it doesn’t happen instantaneously, and it is NOT weakness to admit you’re struggling.

If feeling overwhelmed by darkness, please please please reach out for help!!

Don’t give up. Never give up.

Keep trying, keep pushing, keep fighting!! Keep laughing and smiling and loving and crying. Keep living. Don’t give up.

You can make it, I promise. Don’t quit. Let’s band together and finish strong.

Lemme know if you need someone to talk to.

Blessings.