SUICIDE IS PREVENTABLE
Your Pain Is Real, but Your Story Is Not Finished
There are moments when life can become so painful that tomorrow feels impossible to imagine.
If you are in one of those moments right now, I want you to hear something before you go any further:
Your pain is real. But your story is not finished.
I created a deeply personal video about suicide, faith, emotional pain, asking for help, and the extraordinary value Jesus placed on a single human life. If you are struggling—or if you love someone who is—I hope you will take a few minutes and watch it.
Watch the full video here: [PASTE DIRECT YOUTUBE VIDEO URL HERE]
Please do more than simply open it. Give yourself the time to watch the entire message. And if it speaks to you, subscribe to my YouTube channel so we can continue walking through faith, hope, adversity, and real life together.
Jesus told a remarkable story about a shepherd who had one hundred sheep. When one went missing, the shepherd did not look at the remaining ninety-nine and decide that losing one was acceptable.
He went looking for the one.
The one mattered.
That means something when you are the one hurting.
You are not simply another statistic.
You are not your worst decision.
You are not your darkest day.
You are not the person who rejected you, the relationship that ended, the financial situation frightening you, the illness you are facing, the mistake you regret, or the pain you have been carrying silently.
Your life has value beyond this moment.
Jesus repeatedly moved toward hurting people. He noticed people others ignored. He listened to people others rejected. He stopped for individuals when crowds were pressing around Him.
And then there is Gethsemane.
Jesus did not pretend everything was fine. He openly expressed profound sorrow and asked the people closest to Him to remain near.
There is an important lesson there for every one of us.
There is no shame in saying:
“I need help.”
“I don't want to be alone.”
“Please stay with me.”
Faith does not require you to suffer silently.
You can pray and talk with a counselor.
You can trust Jesus and see a doctor.
You can believe God is working and still admit that what you are carrying has become too heavy to carry alone.
Sometimes pain changes the way we see tomorrow. It can make a temporary season feel permanent. It can convince us that because we cannot see a way forward, no way forward exists.
But our ability to see tomorrow is not the measure of what tomorrow can become.
Think about the followers of Jesus standing before a sealed tomb.
From where they were standing, everything appeared finished.
They could not see Sunday yet.
Sometimes neither can we.
There are people you have not met yet.
Conversations you have not had yet.
Good days you have not lived yet.
Laughter you have not laughed yet.
Healing you have not experienced yet.
Prayers you have not seen answered yet.
And there may come a day when what you survived becomes part of the reason another person decides that they can survive too.
You do not have to solve the rest of your life today.
Take the next safe step.
Tell somebody.
Let somebody stay with you.
Accept help.
And please watch the complete video. I created it for the person who may need someone to remind them that the story is not over.
WATCH THE VIDEO: [PASTE DIRECT YOUTUBE VIDEO URL HERE]
Then subscribe to my YouTube channel. I publish Jesus-centered messages about faith, adversity, hope, encouragement, and continuing forward when life becomes difficult:
If this message reminds you of somebody who may be struggling, share the video with them. A message arriving at the right moment can matter more than we realize.
The shepherd went back for the one.
And if you are the one today, that includes you.
If you are in immediate danger of hurting yourself in the United States, call or text 988, contact emergency services, or go to the nearest emergency department.
Explore the complete Douglas Vandergraph Christian library:
Your friend,
Douglas Vandergraph
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