“For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.” (Lamentations 3:31-33)

I am not sure why, but the topic of suicide seemed to weigh heavily on my mind yesterday. Not committing it myself, mind you, but of those who may be contemplating it or those I’d known even peripherally who had committed it. I guess some of it has to do with the recent killings/suicide in Oklahoma. It’s hard enough to think that a young person — or any person, for that matter — feels so sad and distraught as to commit suicide; it’s even more incomprehensible that he would want to take others along with him.

But, if you do not know about or believe in the above verse, it probably isn’t so hard to believe in this huge, confusing and often selfish world that your life at times may not be worth living.

I’ve been doing some research online about the popular notion that the suicide rate increases at Christmas. What I found out through several studies — some performed in the U.S. and others done in hospitals encompassing the United Kingdom, Denmark and Switzerland — is that the rate actually decreases during the Christmas season. What does tend to rise during this particular time are stress levels, depression and alcohol abuse.

After reading the findings on suicide from several different sources, I then tried to research the “why” surrounding this decline. Here is what I found out:

• The gathering of friends and relatives surround and protect vulnerable people.

• Christmas celebrations may evoke positive memories, hopefulness and a renewed outlook for those in distress.

• Community resources: There is an increased awareness of safety nets available during this period, for example, food bank banks, shelter and outreach programs.

The thing is, these things are, or should be, available all year round. It may take a little more effort on the part of family and friends to reach out to those we feel need some comfort and attention, but what is even harder is recognizing the signs. You often hear from families and friends that they didn’t realize the person who committed suicide was in trouble. We all live busy lives with our own problems, so it can be difficult to be sensitive to others when at times we are busy just trying to hold our own life together.

That is where prayer and our faith in the God comes in. No matter how crazy our lives becomes, we can always take a minute to pray for others. Let God lead you. If someone suddenly pops into your mind or comes across your path, pray for them immediately.

You don’t need to know exactly what you are praying for — just pray for God to bless and help them. If you have the strength and the inclination, ask God to show you what you may  say to or do for them. If it can take just one gesture or incident to set someone off to commit such a desperate act such as suicide, then I believe it can take just one gesture or the right word to lift them up and give them some hope to keep living.

Now I am going to push the envelope here and say this: don’t be afraid to give that gesture or word to a complete stranger. If you feel the leading, do it — no matter how foolish you may feel. I’ve done it and I’ll admit at first it wasn’t easy. I mean I wasn’t even sure I was hearing God or if it was just me, but I did it any way. After I did, the overwhelming and indescribable feeling that came over me was amazing. I just knew I did the right thing and that God was happy with me.

We often have no idea how God is going to use us; we just need to keep ourselves available to Him in order to do what He needs. By keeping your lines of communication open with God through prayer, you may be able to make it a party line by sharing God’s love with someone who doesn’t know how to dial in to Him. 

By the way, the month some studies found where suicide rates were at their highest? — August. The lowest was September. 

Debra Robillard