Early obits

“If you’re an elder, take a risk and get real with the others.” 

Jeramie Rinne, Church Elders, 92

If you're like me, the sad truth is that many things that appear on the front pages of newspapers and scream from the top of news feeds, things that are genuine tragedies, be it police brutality, violent mobs in our major cities, bombings internationally, natural disasters-can all seem like so much white noise. Our brains weren't meant to handle this constant bombardment with information, and once it hits a certain point it all starts to blur.

But some headlines jump out. For me, those aren't generally front page. They're obituaries. Certain obituaries in particular. The obituaries of those who have committed suicide grab hold of my attention like no other news I read.

Like a lot of kids today, I became aware of suicide pretty early in life. I had an uncle and an aunt commit suicide when I was very young. Later in life I would lose another aunt, friends, and acquaintances. 

I don't have answers for why people decide to end their own lives. No doubt it is unique in each circumstance. But I do know what it causes me to do, which is pause and consider: do people know me? Do they know what is happening in my life, not just in the public sense of my activities, but what is going on inside? Do I have people I can be honest with? Am I being honest about the state of my own soul?

There are of course things which no one else will understand. "The heart knows its own bitterness" (Proverbs 14:10). But to what extent am I trusting other people with my burdens? 

We weren't meant to walk through this world alone. We need other people. It has been said that in friendship joys are multiplied and sorrows divided. Having someone to walk with you through the dark night of the soul is imperative. But rarely are friendships cultivated in those moments. 

So what sort of friendships are you building right now?