Recently, I have been made aware of several families that have been touched by a loved one who has attempted suicide. As I prepare my sermon for this week, I can’t help thinking that this level of despair is more common that it used to be. As families pull farther and farther apart, people are more removed from the ones who know them best. For some, being away from their family is a good thing because it was never a safe or loving environment. But for many the loneliness and feeling like they do not belong anywhere can be overwhelming. For others, their jobs or worries can seem so overwhelming that it seems so much easier to end their life then to face the insurmountable “have-to’s” of their lives.
Some might say that knowing God should keep a person from feeling this emptiness but a young man recently pointed out to me that going to heaven and having no pain or worries is exactly the reason that he considered suicide. He wanted to be with God and away from his daily hurt. My sermon this week is talking about the ache that we all have in our hearts for a life of value and meaning. Some people try to stop this yearning with money, sex or even alcohol or drugs. But others try to fill it with exercise, volunteering and even helping others. This yearning that we can’t explain has been called the “God Shaped Hole” in our lives. It can’t be filled with anything else. No matter how hard we try, or what we try to stuff in to it. This hole is only filled with the intimate relationship with our creator and redeemer. This relationship is vital to our core and our identity.
It is so easy to know God. Look around you at the amazing beauty of creation. Read about the miraculous scientific findings that seem impossible. Spend some time in the quiet and listen. Visit some churches and find a community that will help you know God. Read the gospel of John in the New Testament. Have a courageous conversation with a Christian you know and respect. Give me a call, I would love to visit with you about knowing and being loved beyond your wildest imagination.
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