National Suicide Prevention Week

"Someone dies by suicide every 16 minutes in this country."

You think about that long and hard for a moment. I mean really hard. Every 16 minutes, there is a human being somewhere that chooses to end their God given life here on Earth. Here's a thought. Go set a timer right now…Do it…

Set it for 16 minutes. And you wait. And you think. And if you don't want to do this exercise, then guess what, you've never been impacted by someone taking their own life. So sit there for 16 minutes and you think about when that timer goes off, that it represents a trigger being pulled, pills being swallowed, a noose being tightened, a car being started in a closed garage, or a wrist being slit with a knife.

Think about it.

And then think about that person being someone you know. Someone you love. Someone you come in contact with every day. And when you think about that, you think about why your "agenda" or "schedule" today was more important than taking the time to look someone in the eye and genuinely ask them how their day was. You stop and think about why "your problems" were more important than picking up a phone or shooting off and email to tell someone that you love them. You think about that.

And when you realize how selfish you've been, understand that you can provide hope to people. A simple laugh. A hug. A smile. A phone call. A letter. An email. Something. Anything can be the difference between someone not feeling like anyone cares and knowing that they are loved.

But you don't do it because we are selfish, pathetic, me consumed people who are too busy thinking about getting ahead or getting more. And we lose the ability to stop and think how a simple kind word from us might bring a ray of hope into someone's dark and dreary life.

Think about it.

Jesus walked among the crowds. He stopped for people. He cared for people. He healed people. He fed people. He raised people. He died for people. The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve. Think about that. Are you more consumed with you, or with others? Do you constantly think about your problems? Or the problems of others and how you could make a difference? Are you so consumed with how bad your life is? Or are you consumed with how much difference you could make in another bad life?

How you answer that just may give you insight into whether you truly understand the Gospel.

Think about it.

And wait for that timer to go off…it should be in about 14 minutes. Or are you too busy to set it? Because if you are, you're not the person that will be there when someone really needs it. Think about that.