A great loss..

Tim killed himself the other day.

It was the last thing we expected. We remember that he struggled with depression, but so do a lot of other people we know. We never saw the signs.Tim was recently a student here at the Bible college. Right now, a lot of people seem to just be walking around the college like zombies, unable to even comprehend what it is that they are feeling. Suicide is always a difficult thing to deal with.

There is a sense of great loss and also a sense of despair, and perhaps even fear as people examine themselves and ask themselves again: "Can I really trust myself to never take that route?" I think that many times Christians make the terrible mistake of ignoring depression. It's like one of those things many communities just don't talk about. Why is that? Is it because a lot of Christians think that everyone is supposed to always be happy and that being depressed is some kind of sin? We have to face up to the fact that depression is something a lot of people deal with, and if we are truly to be a Christian community we need to come around those who are struggling and support them.

When people are really depressed, sometimes they completely lose their ability to reason. Even if they wouldn't normally take such drastic action as taking their lives, some have moments when their depression takes over and it is possible that they might do something that they would normally regret. How much more likely is that if we make them feel guilty about being depressed? As a Christian community, we have an obligation to make sure that those who are struggling with depression and similar problems are made aware that we understand their problem and do not look down on them for it. In spite of what some well meaning but misinformed people might think, depression is not always a sign of some deep sin in people's lives.

There are many causes of depression, including physical causes in some cases which can be treated medically. Depressed people need to be made aware that they have people in their lives that they can turn to in their moments of despair, and sometimes they need to be reminded often that they are truly loved.Did we fail in Tim's case? I honestly don't know. What I do know is that we need to make a concentrated effort to BE the loving community that we are called to be and to make sure that we genuinely support the suffering people around us.

Here at the Bible college, we are rallying together and seeking ways to make sure that when we leave the college we maintain a support group amongst ourselves to keep in contact with each other and to provide some kind of genuine support as our fellows make the transition from college life to wherever they might be going next. Is that enough? Is that just a knee-jerk response inspired by some kind of guilt?Whatever the initial motives, there remains the fact that there are a great many of us who truly love each other and are more determined than ever to make sure that we make the effort to continually be there for each other.

If we had made more of an effort before, we are not kidding ourselves by saying we are sure Tim would still be here, and we are also not naive enough to insist that we know any efforts we make are enough. However, that's not the point. We know we need to make that effort to be there for one another because that's what love is all about.As for other things around here lately, things have been going well. A lady made a commitment to Christ over the weekend, we are working with some new people from the community who need our love and support, and on Thursday we started a new Bible study that seemed to really start off well. We are also in the process of launching a two-year plan for the church which will be focused on connecting with the community and helping the people around us who need our help.

These really are exciting times at the church, and I'm also having a great time of learning at the college. A shadow hangs over us as we remember one of our company who is no longer with us, but we are also keenly aware that life must go on and we must concentrate ourselves all the more on being there for those who are.