You Matter

September is National Suicide Prevention Month.  Monday, September 10th was World Suicide Prevention Day.  The statistics regarding suicide are staggering.

According to the Centers for Disease Control: 
Suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in the US for all ages.
Every day, approximately 123 Americans die by suicide.
There is one death by suicide in the US every 12 minutes.

According to the World Health Organization:
Close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds. (I did the math on this and it is correct.  I couldn't believe it, but it is.  One person every 40 seconds.)
Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds globally.
There are indications that for each adult who died of suicide there may have been more than 20 others attempting suicide.

A little over four years ago I wrote about Robin Williams' suicide.  The numbers have grown in those four years.   As I wrote then I really don't understand how a person reaches the point of suicide.  I've never had it so bad that I just wanted to quit living.  I've always had hope for tomorrow because I know a God Who holds tomorrow in His hand.  I'm thankful I don't have to depend on my abilities to make it through each storm.

for KING & COUNTRY sings a song called "Matter."  When someone makes the decision to end it all, is part of their thinking, "I don't matter to anyone?"  I wonder if Robin Williams felt like he didn't matter when he said the above words.  YOU matter.  You may not feel like you matter, friends and family may turn their backs on you, but YOU matter.  If you're hurting today, please find help.  Don't listen to the lies that say you're alone.

"Matter"

All of the dreams that haven't come true
And all of the hurt that happened to you
It matters, I hope you know it matters
You felt the pain of a bitter defeat
Where the weight of the grief is more bitter than sweet
It matters, I'm telling you it matters

To the One Who spoke and set the sun ablaze
To the One Who stopped the storm and walked the waves
To the One Who took the tree so He could say
You matter, I hope you know you matter

I know it's not easy, not saying it's fair
But close as a prayer somebody cares
You're a treasure, I hope you know you're treasured
So hold your head high, wait for the dawn
Keep hanging on, your sadness will turn into laughter
Watch it turn into laughter, yeah

Let the water spill from your eyes
Let it wash the wounds of those lies
Oh, let the water spill from your eyes
All that you are, all that you’ll be
Someone put the beat in your heart so that you’ll see
You matter

To the One Who spoke and set the sun ablaze
To the One Who stopped the storm and walked the waves
To the One Who took the tree so He could say
You matter, I hope you know you matter

You matter, heaven knows you matter
You matter, I hope you know you matter
You matter, heaven knows you matter

If you are a fast reader, it might have taken you two minutes to read this post.  During that time three more suicides occurred.  Those three people mattered.  And so do the next three.  And the three after that. I'm writing from a hurting heart today because someone I knew committed suicide last week.  I hadn't seen her in many years and I don't know what drove her to such an act, but she mattered.

I'll say it again, if you're hurting today, please find help.  You matter to me. You matter to God.  You matter.

Do Something

It was a Tuesday morning, just like this morning.  I got in my car for the 30 minute drive to work and turned on the radio hoping to catch a traffic report.  What I heard instead struck terror.  Because of the three hour time difference, by the time I was tuning in both Twin Towers and the Pentagon had already been hit.  We would later learn that a co-worker was on the plane that hit the Pentagon.

The stories of heroism that came from that day are remarkable.  In spite of an enemy trying to tear us down, Americans rose up to fight.  First responders marched into those towers and headed up, while others were fleeing.

One of the most remarkable stories came from United Airlines flight 93.  It was the fourth plane that was hijacked.  This time the passengers had enough time to fight back.  Their attack caused the plane to go down in an empty field in Pennsylvania, 20 minutes flight time from Washington. The plane still went down and all onboard were killed, but those passengers kept it from hitting any national landmarks or buildings.

Tom Burnett was one of the passengers on flight 93.  He made four phone calls to his wife - you can read the full transcript here.  Three times Tom told his wife, "we have to do something."  The last part of their final conversation went like this:

Tom: Deena! If they’re going to crash this plane into the ground, we’re going to have do something!
Deena: What about the authorities?
Tom: We can’t wait for the authorities. I don’t know what they could do anyway.
It’s up to us. I think we can do it.
Deena: What do you want me to do?
Tom: Pray, Deena, just pray.
Deena: (after a long pause) I love you.
Tom: Don’t worry, we’re going to do something.
He hung up

There's an old story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

"Do Something" by Matthew West

I woke up this morning
Saw a world full of trouble now
Thought, how’d we ever get so far down
How’s it ever gonna turn around
So I turned my eyes to Heaven
I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?”
Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of
People living in poverty
Children sold into slavery
The thought disgusted me
So, I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, “God, why don’t You do something?”
He said, “I did, I created you”

If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it’s time for us to do something
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
It’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something

I’m so tired of talking
About how we are God’s hands and feet
But it’s easier to say than to be
Live like angels of apathy who tell ourselves
It’s alright, “somebody else will do something”
Well, I don’t know about you
But I’m sick and tired of life with no desire
I don’t want a flame, I want a fire
I wanna be the one who stands up and says,
“I’m gonna do something”

We are the salt of the earth
We are a city on a hill (shine shine, shine shine)
But we’re never gonna change the world
By standing still
No we won’t stand still
No we won’t stand still
No we won’t stand still

If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it’s time for us to do something
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
It’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something

We don't have to look far to see a need.  I know it can be scary to step out of our comfort zone to do something.  The outcome may not be what we hope for, but for today will you at least try to do something?