Tragedy.

I have a lot planned to write about. Tonight I was hoping to get to write a blog previewing the Survivor merge that will be taking place tomorrow. I also have a lot of thoughts on what's going on in sports right now. What do I take away from the Heat's streak and their physical game against the Bulls last week? What are my thoughts on Derrick Rose and his return? Those are just a couple blogs to name that I could be writing right now. And you could see them soon. I also wanted to write a blog on the importance of Christ's resurrection and Easter Sunday. But I'm even putting that on hold for right now. Tragedy has struck. Over the past few days, news has broke of two suicides in the area. This is a big deal and shouldn't be ignored. I thought I would write something about what my response and reaction to the suicides is.

My first thought is, how horrible. Two tragedies over the stretch of three or four days. It's devastating to hear of the passing of a person. It's even more saddening to hear of the passing of a young person. Kids aren't supposed to die before their parents. And it might even make things sadder to think that a teen was so unhappy in this world that they thought death was a better option. They thought dying would finally give them the peace of mind they've been looking for. Now, it's a couple days later and another student has done the same thing. I was honestly heart-broken when I heard this news. I couldn't fall asleep, I was so sad. Eventually I started to tear up a little bit. Two high school students- one from Stevenson High School and the other from Glenbrook North- both killed themselves.

I didn't go to either of these high schools, so I'm not an expert on either of them. Both are in the Chicagoland area and GBN is in the same conference as the high school I went to, New Trier. I have many friends at GBN and I had heard from them that there have been some recent tragedies in Nortbrook in the past year or two. A football player died in a car crash last summer. Another football player killed himself and so did a GBN alum. This past season meant a lot to the Spartans and their fans, and they rallied to an 8-1 record and a rather impressive season. Nevertheless, the town has been hit hard and has a had a lot happen to them in a short time. And now another student has taken his life. It truly is tragic.

Why did these two students take their lives all of the sudden? We don't know. And we can't make any assumptions. I don't know these people so I can't judge them and I can't blame it on something. We don't know what caused their depression. I'm not going to come down hard on bullying or anything like that. But instead, I want to talk about what we can take away and learn from this.

We need to be thinking, how can we be a friend to someone? If you see someone always by themselves, think about how you can include them. How can you build them up? How can you be a friend to them? I'm not saying that shy people are the ones that get depressed. I'm thinking in terms of what can we do, as human beings to help people. You never know how a little thing you can do for someone can brighten someone's day. However, depression can hit anyone. People that are popular and have everything going for them can be deeply hurting on the inside. Maybe they've been thrown into this situation because of the death of a loved one, or because of some other traumatic thing. We simply don't know. But depression can affect anyone, even those that have been happy their entire lives.

Something else we need to NOT do is make jokes about depression. Saying little things like "I'd rather kill myself than do that" or "If I have to do that I'll probably kill myself" are not good things to say. They can cause damage to those who are depressed and the jokes aren't funny. Suicide isn't funny. Look at what just happened. How can you say stuff like that and feel good about it?

If you are someone that is dealing with depression, it is essential for you to talk to someone about it. The longer you go without talking about it, the more the pain and hurt can build up and the harder it will be for you to talk about it then. This might be the hardest thing for you to do, but it can save you from going down a road of self-destruction.

I truly believe depression is a heart condition. I think that we can get ourselves depressed when focus our lives on the wrong things. I truly believe that Jesus is ultimate source of joy. He is the well that won't run dry. Jesus has taken broken lives and made people new. I was moved by the baptisms video we had at our church about a month ago. It was amazing to hear stories of people that were depressed and how God had changed their lives and brought meaning to them. Please watch this video. Sanctification is something that amazes me. Matthew 8:28 reads, "Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." If you have any questions about this kind of unspeakable joy, ask me. I would love to talk about it. I can go on forever about it and I am trying to keep this post short.

I took a psychology class last semester at Oakton, and in the class we talked about how emotional health experts will say that where you put your value in life can have a huge impact on your emotional health. They say that people who are focused on material items will be less satisfied, while those that live for idealistic things will be more satisfied. I hope this post brings hope to those that are struggling. Depression is something that has been very close to me as I have been close to people that it has affected. I've seen depression been defeated by Jesus. There is hope.

As for this particular situation, my heart mourns for those that were affected and for the communities of Northbrook and Lincolnshire. I felt that I needed to say something on this matter, but I wasn't sure what to say so I've been writing this as a journal of what's on my head and what thoughts come to mind on this matter. I have been and will continue to pray for both communities affected, and if you are reading this and you are affected, I want to help you however I can.

The big thing I'm getting at for everyone reading this blog is for them to think about how you can be of help to someone that is suffering. Do the little things. Little things to you, can be HUGE to other people. You really have no idea how much the words and things you say can impact people. Use your tongue as a gift and not a weapon.

Another thing I would like to add is that my good friend, Eric Underwood, who attends the University of Wisconsin will be participating in the Madison Campus WalkOut of the Darkness Community Walk to benefit the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. If you would like to help Eric, you can donate money to him at the link provided: http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=402410.

Thanks for reading guys, I hope this blog was meaningful.