78 Seconds

 World class athletes can run one lap around a track in less than 45 seconds. A drag race only lasts for less than five seconds in the quarter mile. The 100 meter dash is over in less than ten seconds. A stop light remains red for less than 78 seconds. 

78 seconds is not really a long time. Just one minute and eighteen seconds. That was long enough for one criminal to steal $6,500. It was a quick job. 

In the big scheme of things 78 seconds is not very long. I can type pretty efficiently at 60 words a minute. None of those things is what I have on my mind. Truth is I have something far more sobering weighing heavily on me today. 

Turner and I were at a Father/Son retreat last week. I heard the speaker give a statistic about 78 seconds. It so shocked me I sought him out afterward to verify I heard correctly. I did. He said that every 78 seconds a teenager attempts suicide. Let that sink in. 

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. The facts are more students die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, pneumonia, influenza and lung disease combined. Every single day there are over 3,700 suicide attempts by young people grades 9-12. 

These young people are losing hope. They are growing up in a very cruel world. They experience so much pain, disillusionment, rejection, temptation, and religion is not cutting it. Eventually some of these students get to a point where all they want is relief. Death seems a better option than life. They seek a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It is tragic. 

Every 78 seconds another young person tries to take their own life. Many succeed. That means in the fifteen minutes I have been writing this 11 teenagers have tried to kill themselves. This is a wake up call to parents, teaches, coaches, pastors and youth pastors. Many teens are in trouble. They look for ways to escape the pain of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. They look for ways to cope in drugs, sex and even the occult. Those roads do not lead them to hope, but further down into the pit of despair. 

Satan tempts and deceives these broken ones into bondages they cannot break. He imprisons them in caverns of darkness and gloom. Despair falls like a heavy blanket. Soon they are engulfed and cannot get free. They weight of despair drains the life and hope for better days. Longing for any kind of relief, they follow deeper down the path of addiction and lawlessness hoping to find something worth living for. When these vices only lead to more problems and pain, death looks like a viable option. 

God allows me to be around students every week. I asked myself, "Do I know anyone trapped in despair and a prime candidate for suicide?" Who really knows the private thoughts of teens?  In the time I have been writing now the number who have attempted suicide is up to 25. 

What can we do? There are usually warning signs among youngsters contemplating suicide. One of those things is talking about or writing about suicide. Another warning sign is withdrawing from social contact and isolating themselves. They are at risk when they feel trapped, hopeless, and helpless about their circumstances. These are just a few. We need to wake up from our busy lives as parents and church leaders and pay attention to such signs. 

What can we do? We can love unconditionally. We can just be there, not lecturing but listening more. We can pray for deliverance from demonic oppression. We can  point them and lead them to Jesus who is their Deliverer as well as their Savior. What we cannot do is ignore them. Nor the fact that every 78 seconds another students tries to take their own life. That means 55 have tried do so in the time it has taken me to write this. Lord Jesus please help us help these troubled teens.