Why Death when there is Life to live? (3 min Read)

 (September being World suicide prevention month. I dedicate this article to all the youths of our Nation)

The statistics concerning suicide rates in our country are alarming. Around 7 lakh people die committing suicide every year in our country. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in 15–19-year-olds. 77% of global suicides occur in low-and middle-income countries.

The incidence of student suicides continues to surpass both population growth rates and overall suicide trends. Over the last decade, while the population of 0-24-year-olds reduced from 582 million to 581 million, the number of student suicides increased from 6,654 to 13,044. (Source: IC3 Institute)

Life in this 21^st century is not an easy cakewalk for most of us. Young minds are constantly assaulted with negative thoughts and mixed ideologies affect their Mental Health. Utter chaos and busyness is the state of their mind. Where can one get help and find solace in such troubled moments?

As human beings, we are made with intrinsic worth. No doubt we are wonderfully created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26). We are not just an accident on this planet, without any purpose. We are specially crafted by God and our lives are in His hands. We have no right to take our lives. God is the sole owner of our lives. The clay learns submission only in the hands of the potter. Are we like the clay submitting in His hands?

Suicide is surely a cowardly, devilish act when we don’t dare to face life’s challenges. “Winners never quit; those who quit never win”. we are called to soar high like an eagle. Never look down and walk without hope. There is a ray of hope and light for you in the following lines.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;

31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

As you read these lines (whoever you may be) allow these words to speak to you and take a grip on your life. Make a simple prayer in the place where you are right away and place your life into the hands of God.  You will be a changed person with renewed strength to face life’s challenges.

Rest is assured from God as you read and reflect on these comforting words of Jesus in Mat 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Respond to this invitation. Ask for immediate help if you have any suicidal thoughts. Seek the help of your friend, family member, or a trusted counselor without any delay. Talk to anyone whom you are comfortable with and get help. There is so much to live in this present life. You’re not alone in this fight. 

NEVER EVER GIVE UP!  

Your Choice Matters

During my student days I heard this imaginative story and it made sense to me:

There was a small lad who had only one rupee coin in his hand and went to a sweet shop with his mom. Looking at the sweets displayed in the shop, his eyes went to and forth. The lad could not resist his temptation and started saying to his mom I want this. I want that. The mom gently replied son all that you have is just one rupee in your hand. You cannot buy so many things with it. Make a choice what sweet you need to buy with your one rupee coin.  

We have only one life to live in this world. But we wanted to do so many things with that.

It’s nothing wrong to be ambitious. But we need to make certain critical choices in our lives to keep us going forward.

It’s not how long we live, but how we live that matters.  

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We all have to make choices in life, and often those choices result in significant consequences

Who we are today is because of the choice we made in our life.

We will have regrets in life if we failed to make right choices.

So how can I make the right choices?  Who can help me? 

"God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with him."

- Jim Elliot

Few quotes on choices:

“Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you” - John C. Maxwell

“Life is about choices: Some we regret, some we are proud of. Some will haunt us forever. The Message: We are what we chose to be”   - Graham Brown

"The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day." - Chuck Swindoll

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Spiritual Dimension

As Iam speaking on the critical choice that we need to make in our life concerning our faith.

We need to understand that God has placed in us the spiritual dimension of knowing Him and also to believe in Him.

 It is Blaise Pascal, a famous French mathematician and philosopher, put it rightly like this:

"There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ."

 If we try to stuff anything but God into that God-shaped hole in our lives, we'll end up dissatisfied, restless, discontent. But fill that God-shaped vacuum with God. What do we find? In a word: contentment or fulfillment in life.

The problem with most of us is that we have substituted God with Materialism, work, wealth and pleasures of this present life. That God has no place in our lives. I believe that’s why we feel we are lonely in this world. That’s why we feel no one cares for us. No one loves me or accepts me.

I was browsing through one of the blog in the internet (https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/21st-century-lifelessness ) 

21st CENTURY LIFELESSNESS!

Our communication Wireless; Our business Cashless; Our telephone Cordless; Our cooking Fireless; Our youth Jobless; Our religion Creedless; Our food Fatless; Our faith Godless; Our labour Effortless; Our conduct Worthless; Our relationLoveless; Our attitude Careless; Our feeling Heartless;- Our politics Shameless; Our education Valueless; Our follies Countless; Our arguments Baseless; Our commitment Aimless; Our poor Voiceless; Our life Meaningless. Finally,Our Existence -USELESS????

When you allow God to take over your life, you will understand the meaning and purpose of your very existence. Otherwise we don’t have any purpose in our lives.

James Dobson – A Psychologist and a writer – said like this

When God doesn’t make sense, nothing else makes sense in our lives.

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Another important thing to consider in the spiritual dimension is: God’s Disclosure of himself.

God has revealed himself to the world unless otherwise we cannot know him.

Purpose of God’s Revelation: It is for our good to believe and obey Him.  

The special revelation is none other than the scriptures that we are talking (The Holy Bible) and the person of Christ himself.

The choice is with you. But remember the choice that you make now on these matters have eternal consequences.

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Whom to follow the rest of our life?

My story:

In 2001 as I was pursuing my B.com studies I was in my late teen I made a critical choice in my life. To follow God in my life. As I read the Bible I understood that only one person could save me. I decided to commit my life to him to know him as my Personal God. He changed my attitude my perspective towards life.   

Today when I look back I don’t have any regrets in making that choice in my life.

Soren Kirgegarrd the Danish thinker said like this:  “Life can be understood backwards, which has been lived forwards. So therefore live life forwards”

Today who we are depends on the choice that you and I make in life.

Make a choice to know God in your life. Search for the real one and it is worth to follow Him the rest of your life.

Examples of people who made wrong choices??

Way back in 1998-99 I did my schooling in Nilgiris. I had a friend in my class xii. We are friends and we used to play cricket together. We used to sit together in the same bench in the class. But one day I heard the news that he ended his life, because of some strain in relationships. I really don’t know exactly the details. But I feel bad that he made a wrong choice in his life.

Is there anyone who is going through a similar struggle in finding meaning and purpose in life?

The scripture says like this. Listen to this:

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land.”  - Deut 30:19,20

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Listen to this conversation:

A sadhu (Guru) and a boy was having a conversation on the riverside. The boy wanted to fool the wise sadhu by doing something. So what he did was. One day he took a small sparrow in his hand and asked the sadhu. Is the sparrow in my hand dead or alive? The boy thought if the sadhu says that the bird is dead he will leave the bird to fly in the sky. If he says the bird is alive, he thought to strangle that bird and kill by his hands to fool him. But to the surprise of the boy the sadhu said the life or death of the bird depends on you. It’s in your hands.  

God is the solution to your problems. Give him the control of your life. He can direct your lives well.

Your choice Matters. Think about it!

Reformation required even in these days…

In Jeremiah 7:1-15 we read the context of 'False Religion worthless’.we may ask ourselves what do I believe these days? Or in other words who is my God?
Beware of False teachings and false teachers around you.So much of Deception around us these days.Jeremiah challenges the heathen thinking in Jer10:10 in giving a contrast picture with idols made by human hands and the Living God.He thus boldly declares that our God is true, living and he is the one who makes the earth tremble.Wow!What an awesome and Omnipotent God the Bible describes. He lives and reigns forever above all other Gods. There is no rival for Him.Alleluia!

In Jeremiah 7: 3, 5 it talks about the reformation that God expects.Reformation in three areas mainly (Thought-Word-Deed)

Reformed Thoughts
What’s on your mind? A precise practical book by Merlin Carothers challenged me during my student days. It is difficult sometimes to have a clean mind. But Gods Grace with our efforts it is possible to have a victory in overcoming sinful thoughts.Romans 8:13

Reformed Words
Think for a while do your words build people or break. In other words is it constructive or destructive. God wants our each word to be meaningful and powerful.cos we are accountable to him for each careless word we utter.
Mt 12:36 This verse makes all of us to shudder.

Reformed Deeds
Jesus being our role model and Bible being our basics we can follow Jesus lifestyle. He didn’t speak much rather He demonstrated his faith in his father while his life on earth. In Acts 1:1 Luke records it like this ‘he (Jesus) began to do and then to teach’. Here we see ‘practice precedes preaching’.
God wants the same quality of action in our lives too.

Let God help us to tame our tongue, mind and our spirit to act justly,to love mercy and to walk humbly with him. Micah 6:8

God Bless.