“Christ has no body now on earth but yours; Yours are the only hands with which He can do His work, Yours are the only feet with which He can go about the world, Yours are the only eyes through which His compassion can shine forth upon a troubled world.  Christ has no body on earth now but yours.”
– Mother Teresa

“But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah).”
– II Peter 3:18

Past Questions of the Month:

Hope and Assurance

This website was created for those acquainted with mental illness and in need of hope and assurance.

Question of the Month

If you have a question that you would like addressed, or have comments or suggestions, please let me hear from you. Contact: carolyn@hopeandassurance.com

A group of people were talking about someone who committed suicide and the consensus was that someone who does this is completely self-centered and cannot be thinking of their family and friends.  Do you agree with this?

To the family and friends left behind, yes, it must feel entirely selfish. As acquaintances and others watch husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters reel in confusion, sadness, and anger, it is hard to reach any other conclusion except self-centeredness.

Situations are not always as easy to explain as they appear.  Most often, there is more than one reason why something occurs.  When we are able to look closely and can be open to listening carefully, we may find numerous insights into understanding why something has happened.

I want to suggest some other possible explanations for why someone may choose to take their own life:

They do not have the know how to handle the stress and work out the problems in their life... They have lost all hope of things getting any better...  From their personal experiences, they see no way out… They know of nothing they can do to fix their problems or overcome them...They truly feel others would be better off without them…They feel like absolute failures and do not understand they are only human and the free gift of forgiveness is available to all for the asking…They may not know how or may not feel safe expressing their feelings honestly, openly, and kindly and may not know this kind of communication can help themselves and others heal and change…They may know their God as Someone to fear and try to please by good living but not know Him as their all powerful Deliverer, all knowing and all wise Counselor, their sure and steadfast anchor in the storms of life, their Father Who loves unconditionally no matter what, their absolutely faithful and caring Friend, and their Savior Who came to love and save and not condemn and judge.