Suicidal Thoughts and Bullying

Did you know that the third leading causes of death among teenagers from the aged between 15-24 is suicide? One in every five teenagers have thought of suicide and have considered following through with it. Have you ever thought of suicide before as an option to ending the pain that you were going through at one point in your life? A few years back, even I have. Now consider all the young people who you see every day and know, has it occurred to you that many teenagers are better actors than you thought? Fake smiles are a false image of the pain inside.

So why am I telling you this? Because one of the very common reasons of suicide among teenagers is bullying. Verbal abuse is just as horrible as physical abuse. It would make sense to end your life when you feel lower than dirt right? Well that's what many teenagers have been told and feel like from hearing it countless times. They could be hearing this from people at school, parents, siblings, media, etc. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the saying "You can't do anything about it, you are just one person" and you know what, yes, I am just one person. And I am BEYOND sick of seeing those around me see themselves and worthless because someone else wanted to bring themselves up by bring another down!

1 Thessalonians 5:11
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up..."

A huge way bullying has become more acceptable is through joking and jokes about others. It shouldn't be funny or entertaining to expose what you don't like about someone and make it acceptable by saying "I was just joking" regardless if there is truth to it or not. It is as simple as the verse, if it is not building others up, obviously it is bringing them down.







It breaks the Lords heart to see His precious children so hurt that they can't see how much the Lord loves them beyond comparison. It is not only our job to love everyone but sincerely care!




Now why am I telling you all this? Something so simple as a joke or comment about someone could be just another thing that they begin to hate about themselves because that's all they have been told and know. You could be that one person that makes them feel worth something. How amazing would it be to be able to express true concern and care for them and then tell them that there is someone else who even loves them all the more and always has?

I don't just want to create awareness of what is happening around us, but I also want to make a change. No matter how young you are, you can and will make a change if you set your mind to it.
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." - 1 Timothy 4:12



"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." -Ephesians 4:29

Lets make a change.
-Kelsey