Once upon a time, not so long ago, I stopped wanting to live. I stopped having hope in people, hope for myself, and hope to have a life worth living. I began to think that life wasn’t going to get better and that there was no point to it. It wasn’t until Jesus showed me the truth that I learned why we were created, why we are here, and why it is so important for each of us to stick around and finish well.
We’ve been given a marvelous gift of life and the world and its evil keeps telling us it not worth living or that there is something so terribly wrong with us that we just shouldn’t bother. We must always get back to the truth. We were all created for a purpose, a divine purpose and we are only here for a short while to live out that purpose in preparation for an eternal one to come. While we are here, we are to learn to love, love our selves, our neighbors and of utmost importance, to love God.
“We love Him because He first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
I found that when I focused on all of my “problems”, flaws, wrongs, and mistakes, I could never find relief from depression and suicidal thoughts. In my perception, there was simply so much wrong with my life that there never seemed a way to make it right. But after my encounter with Jesus, all that became inconsequential in comparison for what He had already done for me. It was when I learned to focus on God and what He has done for all of us that I learned to truly accept His forgiveness, loose myself from the worldly burdens, and find my new life in Him, along with the purpose He created me for. Yes, I had wanted to die, only few short years ago…
I had never known true peace until I learned to pray, give thanks, and humble myself to know Jesus in a way that never seemed reasonable or even possible before. Now that I know that God is real, I was given revelations as to why we are here and the peace and hope that comes from this knowledge is priceless!
No, this life is not meant to be easy. It is not meant to be always pleasurable and fun. This life is to learn, grow, mature and develop into the sonship God has for each of His children. It’s a life meant to learn to love, give, connect, forgive, tolerate, and sometimes, suffer, to learn what it is that God is showing us.
Though at times it seems to be impossible, feels terrible, and even at the worst moments, unsurvivable, God said He will never forsake us or abandon us.
He didn’t abandon me. At the worst times in my life, I tried to die. I tried suicide and what I had done to try and take myself out didn’t work. Though I had seen and heard of people doing what I did and not survive. Yet for some reason, I didn’t die! Why? Simple.
Because it wasn’t my time.
God wasn’t done with me.
I still had/have much to learn.
Now, my life has only become even more amazing than I could have ever have imagined. I have two grown kids, two step-kids, and two babies to boot. Our lives are going in a good direction and we have Jesus to thank for it all! God’s gifts are good and I never thought any of it possible or believed how good it could be until He showed me. And He wants to reveal the same to you!
Indeed, our lives are NOT our own! Thank God!
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I am so thankful that the Lord in His infinite wisdom and love chose me (Ephesians 1:4) and chose to let me live when I thought I would die. I have never known such goodness, kindness, peace, joy, or enduring hope until the time God encountered me and I finally recognized that He does indeed speak to us. Not only that, He lives with us! 1 Corinthians 3:16
I pray that during this holiday season or any other season in your life that though you will encounter darkness in the ways that the world hands us, depression, loneliness, sadness, desperation, addictions, and the like, that you too encounter God during these times. You are truly not alone and He is seeking to have a personal relationship with you just as He chose to have one with me. You see, God is not respecter of persons, meaning, whatever He does for one of His kids, He will do for another!
If you are experiencing thoughts and feelings that make you desire to end your life, you must know that this isn’t the end! We are indeed eternal beings and if you did leave, Jesus Himself would tell you this truth.
The spiritual truth to suicide ( I have come to understand) is that the real reason any of us want to die or commit suicide is because the enemy (Satan and his demons) are deceiving us with our thoughts in order for us to believe in his lies. You see, they do have power to influence our thinking and one tactic or temptation they perform is convince us to die early by taking ourselves out. Let it not be so! The Bible tells us to resist the devil and He will flee from us (James 4:7) and to hold every thought captive to see if it is from God (2 Corinthians 10:5).
So if you are having these thoughts, pray to God for help and resist the thoughts themselves. Use the Bible against these “thoughts’ by speaking the truth over your life or having someone (church member, pastor, etc.) who knows this truth speak over you and declare God’s truth to overcome the enemy’s lies.
You ARE created for a purpose!
You ARE His workmanship
You ARE created in His likeness and image!
You WILL live and not die!
“I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD.”
Psalm 118:7
Blessings on your Christmas season, may you have peace today knowing that we do indeed have a God who saves and He does love His creations (all of us) enough to die on a cross for us. He did indeed purchase us at a cost, His crucification. We are all His! He is worthy for all of us to give our lives over to Him and begin to work out our salvation in awe of His goodness.
You ARE loved! ❤️
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10