Craig Clouston

Inconsequential

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered … you are worth more than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:30, 31

Bethany was fourteen when she tried to take her own life. She saw herself as a disappointment and felt she had no choice but to end her life by hanging herself from the rafters in the garage. Divine intervention brought her brother to the garage at the very moment she stepped off the chair. Grabbing her around the legs, he stepped onto the chair and supported her with one hand while removing the rope with the other.
Bethany later admitted that she felt inconsequential and unsuccessful—neither of which was true—and saw everything through a pass or fail lens; in her mind, there had been no room for error.
Her parents were shocked and horrified to learn their youngest daughter had thought of herself as a failure or that she believed death was the answer.

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We no longer allow our children to be average. And because of this mind-set, our children are choosing to end their lives because they don’t measure up in their own eyes.
Teen suicide is a growing epidemic and in large part is a result of being subjected to irrational ideals that create irreconcilable dilemmas teens are neither emotionally nor spiritually mature enough to handle.
Irreconcilable dilemmas create depression that, if unrecognized, causes excessive withdrawal and isolation. These symptoms can be misunderstood as a need for personal space. Quiet withdrawal is not always a downtime thing needed to regroup.
Bethany eventually learned that self-imposed, irrational expectations could overwhelm anyone. No one person is capable of carrying the weight of such demands.
Christian counseling brought Bethany to a place where her overwhelming sense of a need to succeed no longer overshadowed rational thought.
We must not fail to recognize signs of depression. They can be as subtle as they are destructive. There are abundant resources available; Christian psychiatry can be beneficial; the local library and online medical sites have a wealth of information.
But as valuable as these are, God’s Word is priceless. Our children must know they matter. And we must not fail to tell them.

Prayer

“Lord, save our children from the lie of inconsequence. Help us end this epidemic by revealing Your great love for them through those who know the truth. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”