I Choose Life

Why Suicide is not an option

Thirty-three years ago my mother completed suicide. I was 17 years old. In the dark weeks that followed, I remember contemplating taking my own life. That was not the last time that those thoughts would enter my mind. In recent years, as I have faced my own depression, dark thoughts of suicide have come again to me. Why have I not chosen suicide as a way out?

Suicide leaves a “hell on earth” for those left behind. Suicide is the ultimate act of selfishness. By choosing this option, you may think you will escape your own pain and suffering but you leave behind a much deeper valley of guilt, shame and sadness than you ever experienced or could have imagined. Nothing is solved and so much more is left unresolved.
Suicide is an act of fear and desperation. There is nothing honorable or brave about killing yourself. It is taking the easy way out. Maybe that is what you want to do. Decide to choose to fight for your life. Life is tough and it takes courage to face problems, maybe courage that you don’t think you have. That’s why you have family, friends and most of all God to help you in your fight for life. Yeah at times, life is a battle but you don’t need to face it alone.
Suicide is built upon a series of lies. When you think about suicide, you think you are all alone and no one cares. You may think you are no good. Well, those are lies. There is always someone that cares, always someone that is willing to help you. You are significant because you are created in the image of God. Hold onto the truth.
Suicide does not show that you are in control over your life, just the opposite. When you choose suicide you admit that the opinions of everyone else matters more than your own and those of God. In suicide, you surrender the control and final destiny of your life to other people. Do you really want to do that?
Suicide is a choice that you have no right to make. Since you didn’t choose life, what makes you think you have a right to choose when you will die? If you think you deserve the right when to end your life, you are believing a lie straight from the devil’s mouth. And I promise you, the devil only hates and wants to destroy all those created in the very image of God—that is you.
There is no love in suicide, only meanness. It is not romantic, it is ugly. It does not help those left behind; it just creates more problems for them.
When you think about suicide you may think you have no reason to live. Maybe you don’t see it now but there are lots of reasons to live and you will see them if you just hold on.
When you consider suicide you are possibly saying you could care less what God says, thinks and feels about you. You are saying you don’t trust Him. God is committed to you, even with all your problems and blemishes. With God, there is always hope and all you need is just a little hope to keep going. Remember that.

The author was requested to share his thoughts on "why suicide is not an option" in response to Stephen Hauffe's death on Sunday, October 29, 2006. Any questions or comments may be directed to ichooselife@cbcintl.org and will be handled with appropriate confidentiality in a timely fashion.