paravanes:meditations

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 In this third and final part of the series, I will discuss the life of the Old Testament Israelite judge Samson. I will provide a link to the biblical story of this man. You will have the option of learning his story from an easy to read Bible translation. Finally, I will suggest some lessons from Samson's life. Please know I am not writing to judge or evaluate your perspective on possibly ending your life. I am writing to offer a few thoughts for you to consider before taking an irreversible step. Samson died by suicide. The Bible says very little about suicide. In Samson's story, we find the account of a man who struggled with conflicting desires, who experienced betrayal, personal and spiritual defeat, disability, and  who died surrounded by enemies who mocked him. Samson's story: From childhood, Samson was acknowledged as someone set apart to do God's work in a special way. Specifically, Samson's ...

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 In the previous post, I explained I have no interest in or need to judge your perspective. I am writing this series to offer a few thoughts for you to consider before taking an irreversible step. Perhaps you believe death by suicide will end your ability to feel any level of pain or discomfort about your life. Actually, death by suicide may be riskier than you think. Basically, you would make the choice to move from a known situation (however unhappy) to a totally unknown situation. Some believe when we die we end our existence and move into a condition referred to as oblivion (peaceful and permanent unknowing of self or of anything). This may seem desirable, but there is no way to know if it is possible to completely end our existence. If oblivion can be achieved, there is no way for anyone to verify it or prove it. Expecting to achieve "non existence" is a huge leap of faith. Consider the possibility that death b...

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 You may feel you are ready to eliminate all and any options for your life. I have no interest in or need to judge your perspective. I am writing this series to offer a few thoughts for your consideration before you take an irreversible step. Perhaps you feel you have done or experienced something that has deeply shamed or embarrassed you. Perhaps you feel you have done something that will bring deep shame or embarrassment to people or groups you love, admire, or are obligated to in some way. Perhaps you feel the consequences are more than you can handle. Consider this: the ones you love or are obligated to may have more resilience or bounce back than you know or imagine. You may be thinking "well, they have never shown that bounce back in the past. Maybe they never thought they would lose you forever. Maybe you don't know about everything these people have recovered from, have done, or have experienced. If the o...

Don't let this be your story or your legacy. Within the last week, a local TV meteorologist died by suicide after experiencing problems while recovering from lasik eye surgery . This meteorologist was relatively young, and left behind a husband and two very young children. This story saddened me and touched me deeply. Several years ago, I considered having this surgery and decided to continue on using contact lenses and glasses. The doctors I spoke with said this was a routine procedure, with excellent results and very few risks. Perhaps I was a bit of a coward, but being nearsighted, I didn't want to take any further risks with my eyes. Risks involving lasers and manipulation of my cornea seemed too scary. As I read comments on social media about this death, I was stunned by how many people wrote extremely angry and judgmental comments about the woman who died. Many of these comments had a religious tone, threatening her soul with Hell, hellfire, and eternal damnation. ...