Sharing Hope

Six Years ago a 17 year old girl sat on the floor against her bed with her journal, writting out her pain as the tears fell, a couple bottles of pills in her hands... Where was hope? The pain and the fears closed in around her until she couldn't take it anymore and in the strangest ways, thankfully fear won out this time. She fell to her knees and cried out for answers, cried out for hope. Hope answered in a caring friend, a brother... hope answered in Jesus. I was that girl, and that friend was my big brother who told me I had purpose, he showed me I was loved and that I was worthwhile... that I belonged. He told me about God.

Reflecting back on this day this week as it is just getting over National Suicide Prevention Week, and here I am... two and a half weeks into college, six years after that fateful night and my life forever changed for the better. I remember my dreams in high school to be able to be a voice- to be able to tell people like me... people who have felt alone, have hurt themselves and have drown themselves out in unhealthy relationships and behavior in hopes to find love and purpose. In hopes to escape the pain. I am discovering more and more every day that I have a voice. Whether it's in my writing or in actively sharing with people the hope I have and the discover of who I am, and helping others find themselves.

Today, here on the campus of the University I attend, a group of approx 15-20 people sat in a circle in a small room sharing personal stories of pain, stories of how suicide has affected their lives. Both students and faculty alike meeting to bring answers and hope to the hurting hearts around them. The city I live in is said to have the 3rd highest suicide rates in the U.S. and the High School having on average of 2 students a year committing suicide, and that's not even mentioning how may attemps there are, how many are living without hope.

Studies from World Health Organization show that In the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide. Suicide is among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15-44 years in some countries, and the second leading cause of death in the 10-24 years age group; these figures do not include suicide attempts which are up to 20 times more frequent than completed suicide. Looking at how many occur around the workd a year it equals up to about one death every 40 seconds! The age group I am most involved with as I pursue youth ministry and a career as a high school English teacher, 15-19 years show the highest hospitalized attempt rate; 13% of hospitalized attempts in the U.S. alone! We are in desperate need of HOPE!!! There is an urgency in me to wake up and reach out.. to make a change, to make a difference! To share my story and my hope that I now have in Christ.

So what do we do with this? How do we run to stop the bleeding? We know the warning signs, we make ourselves available, we care. We listen to them and we take them to the people that will help them, we show them love, we show them hope. We do as Jamie Tworkowski (Founder of the organization To Write Love on Her Arms) did. I am inspired by the story of Renee and the hope that Jaime and his friends brought to her life. That's the difference I wanna make in this generation, in my city... but even that is just the beginning...

To find out more about how to prevent suicide, knowing the warning signs and what to do to help, visit

http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/index.html

http://www.sprc.org/thismonth/index.asp

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/suicide_prevention.htm

To find more about Renee's story and the To Write Love on Her Arms organization, check out http://www.twloha.com/vision/