when you feel like giving up--don't!

When I get sick and tired, and I mean really feeling that way, what do I do? I always turn to the Lord and ask Him to help me get my attitude right. Right? Wrong. Sometimes but not always. Sometimes I stew. I go over and over in my mind what I'm sick and tired about. Guess what, never fails to make me feel sicker and tired-er. (Is tired-er a word?). Then I read some scripture about rejoicing in the Lord always and in everything give thanks. And I think yeah but not right now. Or some happy Christian comes along and starts spilling joy all over me, and instead of rejoicing with them I stay on the complain train. Okay so I get it if you're feeling sick and tired, and maybe you've got good reason to be. But here's the deal. God wants to grace us moment by moment so we can overcome what gets us down. So, the thing to do, really, is to turn to Him, humble ourselves and ask for help. He always graces those who do. Bible says so. Healing for the sick and renewal for the tired. Amen. 

Suicide has claimed two known celebrities in the last three days: Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. From the outside, they 'had it all', thus the term, "celebrity." However, it would seem that despair took over what seemed to be an idyllic life, rendering it extinct long before it should have ended.

The news headlines today screamed how suicide has skyrocketed in the last twenty years. Why has the rate gone up? Could it be that in our world of having everything at our fingertips just isn't good enough? We have instant gratification through social media, through news on the spot whenever we want it, we have gadgets that create less work, thus giving us, in theory, more time at our bidding. Yet it seems it is those very things that have isolated us.
I pray one day soon mental illness will no longer have a stigma attached to it and that those struggling will get the help they so desperately need and deserve! You are loved. You are valued, you are important, you matter, there is always hope!!

We need to understand that the devil is the Deceiver. He wants others to feel so deep in despair that taking their lives is the only answer for them. He revels in the fact that he has taken yet one more soul from God. But we also have Jesus! We have Someone who has told us, "take my yoke upon you, for my burden is light." When you feel as if you are in the midst of darkness--and who of us hasn't at one time or other, this reverend included--call out to God. I mean, cry out to Him. You really are not alone.

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A new CDC report shows an alarming rise in the number of suicides in the U.S. If you or someone you know is in distress, help is always available. You can text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 741741, or call 800-273-8255. Help is available 24 hours a day.