Pondering the shock of a NY suicide
In checking out trends on Google this morning I came across an article from the New York Times that pointed out a very interesting difference in world view between Christians and the secular world. The article recounts the suicide of a young female banker from Manhattan who took her own life by jumping off of an apartment building. The article goes on to say that her friends were shocked because they thought she had everything in the world: a good job working with philanthropies, lots of friends all over the country, a leader with everything well organized (and from articles and a picture I saw she was pretty to boot).
These are the kinds of things the world values. So why am I not surprised to hear this woman would take her own life? I do not know her, I do not know if there were any signs leading up to the event. The article mentions she was suffering from depression but not everyone who does kills themselves. The reason why I am not surprised is because nowhere in this article does it say anything about what she knows about God. (I started to write the word “believes” in the last sentence but “knows” is more accurate).
Now the reporter may not have known anything about her religion or might not have thought it was relevant, however I believe this information is important to understand the question of why she would commit suicide. If a good job, leadership, and looks are the things this woman valued, it creates real problems when considering failure, which we all experience.
Let me make this really clear. This woman may have been very nice, might have done great things for people by raising money for charity. However she was also a sinner. She sinned daily and sinned much against God and His laws. Just like everyone else. Just like me. Had she known the forgiveness of sin offered to everyone, which includes her, for these sins she would know why she is not happy (sin), why she is not fulfilled (sin), why she feels that nothing is good enough (sin). However at the same time she would know that God loves her, and was awaiting her with open arms to forgive her sins and welcome her into His kingdom through repentance and faith.
I think a good follow up or continuation of this article would be an investigation of whether or not she really had anything to look forward to (eternal life with Christ), and what all of us can do to protect ourselves and our families and friends from this horrible fate: to believe the Good News that Jesus died for even a wretched sinner such as me.
What does anyone else think? Do you think I am wrong? Am I being crass? What do you think?
