00:01You know, some people are just hanging on by a string.
00:06You never know when you are the string.
00:11I want to talk to you for a minute like it's just you and me,
00:15because there's a good chance that either you or somebody you know
00:20is carrying something much heavier than anyone realizes.
00:25And here's a fact most people never hear.
00:30For every person who dies by suicide worldwide,
00:34there may be more than 20 other people who attempt it.
00:39More than 720,000 people die by suicide every year.
00:45That's roughly one out of every hundred deaths in the world.
00:50And 56% of global suicide deaths happened before the age of 50.
00:58But I don't want you thinking about 720,000 people.
01:03Think about one.
01:05Because Jesus did.
01:07Jesus once described a shepherd with 100 sheep.
01:12Ninety-nine were safe.
01:15And one was missing.
01:17Mathematically, the shepherd still had 99%.
01:21Jesus said he went after the one.
01:25Now, that tells you something about how God measures a human life.
01:30You're not a percentage.
01:33And neither is the person you pass at work, sit beside a church, or talk to at the grocery store.
01:42One matters.
01:45Here's another number you may not know.
01:47Suicide is the third leading cause of death worldwide among people ages 15 to 29.
01:56Nearly three-quarters, 73% of global suicide deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
02:06This isn't somebody else's problem.
02:10It crosses countries, generations, income levels, and backgrounds.
02:20You know, sometimes it begins with depression.
02:24Sometimes with grief.
02:26Sometimes loneliness, financial pressure, a relationship falling apart, chronic pain, illness, abuse, discrimination, or simply too many things going wrong
02:42all at once.
02:44The World Health Organization points out that some suicides happen during moments of acute crisis when somebody's ability to cope
02:54temporarily breaks down.
02:56I want you to hear that last part.
03:00A moment of crisis.
03:02A moment can feel permanent when you're standing inside of it.
03:07But a moment is not a lifetime.
03:11And that may be one of the most important things somebody needs to hear today.
03:18Now, let me bring this closer to home.
03:21In the United States, 48,824 people died by suicide in 2024.
03:32Suicide was the 10th leading cause of death.
03:38The rate was 13.7 deaths per 100,000 people.
03:45But those aren't even the numbers that hit me the hardest.
03:48In just one year, an estimated 14.3 million American adults seriously thought about suicide.
04:01About 4.6 million made a plan.
04:06About 2.2 million attempted suicide.
04:1314.3 million.
04:17Think about your normal day.
04:19The people driving beside you.
04:22The person making your coffee.
04:26The co-worker who says good morning.
04:29The neighbor bringing in the trash cans.
04:32The person sitting a few rows away at church.
04:37Somebody can smile at you and still be fighting for their life inside.
04:44You cannot always see the pain.
04:48And Jesus understood that.
04:51You see, people saw Zacchaeus as a tax collector.
04:57Jesus saw a man.
05:00People saw a blind beggar beside the road and told him to be quiet.
05:06Jesus stopped.
05:08People saw a Samaritan woman at the well with a complicated past.
05:15Jesus sat down and talked with her.
05:17Jesus had an extraordinary habit of noticing the person everyone else had categorized.
05:26Maybe that's part of our assignment too.
05:30To notice people.
05:33To ask twice.
05:35Not just how are you.
05:38Ask.
05:39No.
05:40Really.
05:41How are you doing?
05:44And then be willing to hear the answer.
05:47Because there are other facts worth knowing.
05:52In America, the suicide rate among males in 2024 was nearly four times the rate among females.
06:02People aged 80 and older had the highest suicide rate of any age group.
06:09The highest racial and ethnic rates were among non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native people and non-Hispanic white
06:21people.
06:21In other words, loneliness and despair don't have one face.
06:29And this surprised me too.
06:32Although America's suicide rate fell slightly in 2024, it was still about 32% higher than it was in 2000.
06:42So, yes, we need to talk about this.
06:47But I don't want to leave you with darkness.
06:50Because here's another fact.
06:55Suicide is preventable.
07:00Connection to family and community can reduce suicide thoughts and behaviors.
07:06Access to healthcare can help.
07:09Timely emotional support can help.
07:13That means something incredibly hopeful, doesn't it?
07:18People can make a difference in people's lives.
07:22You can.
07:24You don't need a psychology degree to call somebody on the phone.
07:28You don't need to have all the answers to sit next to someone and listen.
07:34You don't need a perfect speech.
07:37Remember the Good Samaritan.
07:40Jesus told us about a man who had been beaten and left beside the road.
07:44Two people saw him and kept moving.
07:48Then, somebody stopped.
07:51Notice what the Samaritan did not do.
07:55He didn't explain the man's problems.
08:00He didn't lecture him.
08:03He didn't compare his suffering with somebody else's.
08:07He got close.
08:10And he helped.
08:12He stayed involved.
08:15And maybe sometimes the most Christ-like thing you can do is simply refuse to leave somebody alone in their
08:24pain.
08:25And if you are the person in pain, I want you to know something, too.
08:32You don't have to pretend you're okay just because you're a Christian.
08:36Even Jesus in Gethsemane said his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow.
08:45And he asked the people closest to him to stay near.
08:49Jesus asked people to stay.
08:54Think about that.
08:55So, asking for help isn't a failure of faith.
09:00You can pray and call a counselor.
09:04You can trust God and see a doctor.
09:07You can read scripture and receive mental health treatment.
09:12You can love Jesus and still say,
09:16I cannot carry this by myself.
09:19And maybe faith today isn't about having everything figured out.
09:25Maybe faith is taking one more step.
09:30Tell somebody.
09:32Make the call.
09:34Walk into the counselor's office.
09:37Let somebody sit with you.
09:41And don't try to solve the next 30 years tonight.
09:47Just make the next safe decision.
09:50Because Christianity is built around something else I want you to remember.
09:56There was a day when Jesus' followers thought the story was finished.
10:02He was dead.
10:04The tomb was sealed.
10:08Everything they believed was over.
10:11Except it wasn't.
10:13You see, they were standing on Saturday and couldn't see Sunday yet.
10:19And sometimes that's where we are.
10:22You know, we assume there's no future because we cannot see one from where we're currently standing.
10:28But not being able to see what comes next does not mean nothing comes next.
10:37There are people you haven't met yet.
10:41Conversations you haven't had yet.
10:44Good days you haven't lived yet.
10:47And laughter you haven't laughed yet.
10:51Ways God may use your story that you cannot possibly understand today.
10:56So, if you're hurting, stay.
11:01And if somebody around you is hurting, stay with them.
11:08Jesus taught us that one person is worth stopping for.
11:13One person is worth searching for.
11:17One person is worth helping.
11:21And if you're wondering whether that includes you, well, it does.
11:27Your story is still being written.
11:30And if you're in immediate danger of hurting yourself, get around other people immediately and seek help.
11:38In the United States, you can call 911 or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
11:50Hey, remember, I love you and so does God.
11:55And I'm sure you have many people around you who love you as well.
11:59Reach out.
12:01Don't stay alone.
12:04My name is Douglas Vandergraaf and I believe in Jesus Christ.
12:10God bless every single one of you.
12:14Every single one.
12:16And everyone you love.
12:20Bye-bye.
12:21Bye-bye.
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