A thousand ways to use a knife
Found on the Elim Church site, Auckland, New Zealand
- a sermon perhaps? or advice to all of us to be part of the solution?

Youth Suicide.  The latest statistics have shocked our nation. Only Russia and Lithuania rank higher in young male suicide than New Zealand.  Our Utopian image is destroyed. Meanwhile, as government and community agencies try to find a solution, nobody answers the most obvious question: Why?

Natalie wakes up depressed. All she can think about is death.  As she butters her toast she imagines a thousand ways to use the knife on herself.  When she gets to school it seems like every-one’s saying the same thing:  “You’re nothing”. 

She can’t do any work, she just stares at the wall.  The teacher has given up on her. At lunchtime she walks around the school aimlessly.  She has no real friends.   Nobody knows her secret.  Except the friend she talks to in her mind.   The dark friend who says “you’re a piece of dirt, no-one will miss you”. 

That is not over-dramatic.  It is reality for the hundreds of young people who are lost in the hopelessness of their generation.  A generation that knows more abuse, violence and family break-up than any in the history of the western world. This is the generation who for many,  life is nothing more than a journey “from nothingness to nothingness”.  

Anger, frustration and depression are everyday emotions.  They have taken the place of self-worth and a purpose in life. Suicide offers a solution.  It often appears as the only solution, the ultimate trip.  You don’t come down and you can’t be grounded.  

I wander the streets  
It was lonely, I was cold.    
Weird music filled the air      
It grew louder and louder      
There was no other sound      
Only weird, terrible music      
I began to run,      
As though I was being chased      
Too terrified to look back,      
I ran into the darkness      
A light was shining very      
brightly, far away      
I must get to it      
When I reach the light     
I saw myself
I was lying on the ground      
My skin was very white      
I was dead.  

Suicide is a lie.  It appears as an answer, as a way of escaping.  It blinds the victim and creates a false hope.  It is a permanent solution to a temporary situation. Today’s youth are deceived.   They have bought into a world-view that is God-less and hopeless.  They are searching for a reason for being.     

You know the answer.  You know that every one of them has a purpose and a destiny in God. You know that they have been created perfect, cherished in God’s eyes. It’s time to get out of our seats. It’s time to open our eyes to the reality around us and face up to our responsibility. 

God has called us to be seekers of the lost, gatherers of the hurting, lovers of the un-loved.  They are looking, waiting, wondering... We can’t solve their problems, but we can be a friend.  We don’t have all the answers, but we can be a sincere listener.   We may be far from their situation, but we are probably the only person they know with an answer.

So you want to help? 

• Be yourself - be a friend - respect them.
• Be there -  do what you say - don’t over-commit yourself.
• Be honest - don’t make light of it - don’t agree with their false reality.
• Be practical - help them find ways of getting on with life.
• Be prophetic - see them totally restored - declare God’s truth about them.

There is an attack on this generation like never before. This generation is like the sick and possessed children who were healed by Jesus. They would have gone on to be legends in God’s history book. Like the children Jesus healed, this generation is sick, lost and hurting.  If we answer the call, they will see the power of God like never before and become legends in all of history.

Auckland City Elim has a strong focus on young people and provides many activities and small groups for building strong relationships.  Contact Darren Porter or Chris Bethwaite on 309 3798 if you’d like to be involved. Professional counselling is also available.  Contact Baden Michell.

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