Introduction

LOGIC AND SUICIDE ARE NOT PARALLEL CONCEPTS

I would say my life is pretty charmed; to any who are happy to be critical of me, stating that I have no logical reason to be dallying with the idea of taking my own life, well, they would be right.

Except that suicide is not a 'logical' act.  Suicide is not something that any reasonable person would analyze and say, Yep, he/she had good reason to take his/her own life!

It is the solution (who ever said there was a problem?) that, to the one contemplating suicide, is the epitome of selflessness; i.e. If I was gone, they would not have such problems...  It is a final solution to a mental spiral which looms so large and blinds so completely that the person embroiled in it cannot see any options without assistance.  It is the extreme progression of the 'foothold' spoken of in Ephesians 4:27.

There is nothing in my life - events, etc. that would cause someone to think I can understand why she killed herself!  It's all in my head.

What changed?  Why can I write a piece entitled When Suicide Becomes An Option?

Nothing.  No reason.  I still have the mental stuff.  But, by the grace of God - He's big, very big in this healing process - I was given a second option, and now am able to enjoy very-glad-to-be-alive days far more frequently than why-should-I-take-the-high-road days.  And it was not a once-for-all-time-miracle-akin-to-Lazarus-rising-from-the-dead healing, either.  It is a one-day-at-a-time-embrace-God's-plan-for-your-life miracle.

WORK OF A SIMPLE WOMAN

As stated in Before We Begin, this work is based on my experiences, and this includes my simple understanding of Scripture.  While not a simpleton, I am also not a scholar.  Instead, I am your average person - I read, I pray, I meditate and now, I write.  Sometimes I even use words that are beyond those used in Scripture, though I remain aware that God's Word is written for the express purpose of reaching the average person - not to confound and make the average person debtor to the scholar.

So, if something you read sounds rather simple, that is because it is being expressed by someone who is convinced, it really is that simple! 

THIS BLOG IS NOT FOR EVERYONE

It was striking, the assessment made by my co-worker, that suicide was a 'selfish' act.  In relaying this incident to a Bible study group, a second person spoke up, "I just don't get it.  Why would anyone want to take their own life?"

I don't believe this person will ever "get it". 
And so I state: for some, this blog will be like a cool glass of water on a hot day; to others it may seem like a waste of time.  Whatever.  Again - this blog is not for everyone - it is for an audience with a unique understanding of those who have no hope. 

PURPOSE: BLESSING OR PERFECTION

Fear has driven me in many different arenas of my life.  Oftentimes it is fear of failure that paralyzes me, making me utterly ineffective.  And it would do this again, with this blog, had my friend not challenged me with a universal question: Pam, what are you wanting from this?  Do you want it to be perfect or do you want it to be a blessing?

She hit the nail on the head.  My fear of failure stemmed from the misguided concept that the goal of our activities is perfection, when in reality it is to provide a product that will bless the lives of it's consumers.

I make no apology; if this is not perfect, that is okay.  It is intended to bless it's readers.  And if it does that, in the end God will be both magnified and glorified.  And that would be okay.