From the Editor: As we study Isaiah this month, we will inevitably find passages that comfort us and aid us in comforting others. This may be especially important during the holiday season.
For instance -
We were created to be joyful: Isa 65:18 "...be glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy."
We were created to be at peace: Isa 54:13 "all your children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of your children."
We were created to be generous: Isa 54:2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations: spare not, lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes."
We were created to sing: Isa 52:9 "Break forth into joy, sing together...for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem."
We were created to be of service: Isa 6:8 "I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me."
We were created to shine: Isa 60:1 "Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen on you."
We are never alone: Isa 41:10 "Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness."
With these comforting ideas in mind, today we have pleasure in sharing an article from our friend Kay Stroud on the subject of suicide prevention.
Helping to avert a suicide
It’s heartbreaking to learn that suicide rates across Australia have increased by 20% in the last decade. Is there nothing we can do to reverse this tragic trend?
Many are striving to do so. Some are finding ways to reach out and connect with people who are suffering from mental illnesses. Others are helping those struggling with suicidal tendencies to overturn the stereotypes and lead happy and successful lives.
There is interesting research that could help to influence a change in community attitudes to the pressing issue of mental health. The Conversation has published results of a study by the University of Melbourne that suggests that practitioners who see mental health problems as “bio-genetically caused diseases” view patients as relatively dangerous, unpredictable and unlikely to recover; increasing stigma rather than helping sufferers. Whether suffering from such a prognosis or from implications of the many social determinants of mental health, a negative assessment is undoubtedly sensed by the patient; a point that was made by health reformer Mary Baker Eddy.
From Eddy's own experience, she was able to write, “A patient hears the doctor’s verdict as a criminal hears his death‐sentence” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures). In the case of those who are broken-hearted, a pronouncement of mental illness adds to the burden of hopelessness they’re experiencing.
But there’s another way to approach such challenging circumstances. Sizing up the situation from a spiritual perspective, an entirely different conclusion can be reached.
Jesus is often thought of as a social reformer but his challenge to the accepted norms of his day went much deeper. For instance, he questioned the accepted interpretation of physical laws. When it was suggested to him that either the disabled man or his parents must be the cause of the problem, he fired back that neither were to blame. Based on his love and understanding of the man’s innate spiritual perfection, he was then and there able to heal the man of congenital blindness. The same understanding transformed a man labelled insane, who was self-harming and who everyone else was afraid to approach.
From Jesus’ example we can come to realise that no-one is a lost cause.
Acknowledging the presence of a higher power – recognised in Christian Science as an entirely good and loving divine Principle, forever one with each of us – can help to diffuse limited views. To do so is prayer, which is a way of deeply caring for those who may be struggling with dark thoughts. Such prayer can have a tangible, healing impact.
Ellen Hammond relates how one evening she noticed someone standing beyond the outside railing of the bridge above her as she drove on the highway below. She was not able to stop to see for certain what was happening, but wanting to respond to that individual’s silent cry for help, she realised she could do more than just feel sorry for the man, she could pray.
The first thing that came to mind were the words of a dearly loved hymn: “Everlasting arms of Love / Are beneath, around, above.” To her, this meant that Love, another name for the Divine, was the only active presence, completely surrounding and tenderly caring for her and everyone, everywhere and always…and no one could opt out of being loved by God.
She contemplated these and associated ideas throughout the evening until she felt a sense of real peace about the situation. A few days later she did an Internet search about the incident and learned that a man had indeed been planning to jump off the bridge at that time. With great gratitude she read that an off-duty police officer had talked with the man until he changed his mind and climbed back over the railing to safety. The article specifically noted that the officer hugged this man for a while.
To me, prayer acts as a kind of mental reinforcement for the efforts of the many people doing everything they can to address the problem of suicide. Spiritual thinkers establish an atmosphere of expected good. As we each adopt that viewpoint we’ll notice when things are not as they should be for a friend or even for someone we’ve never met before. We’ll reach out to help them, knowing that life-changing solutions are assured and will be provided.
This article was published on the Sunshine Coast Daily.
Kay Stroud writes on the relationship between thought, spirituality and health, and trends in that field. She is the contact, or Committee on Publication, for Christian Science in this region and practices Christian Science healing. Contact her at neaustralia@compub.org or follow on Twitter @KayJStroud.
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