Elder Holland on Suicide

[Gillebre]

4 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Sheesh.  My goodness.  I have "no" problems, thank you very much.  Thanks for being vulnerable enough and having the courage to share your story.  I laud you.

Warm Regards and Best Wishes from a Brother in Christ,

Ken

Thank you, Ken! I appreciate having you and others here as my brothers and sisters in the Lord. It makes all the difference!

Looking back at it all...I was deeply torn by life and the consequences of other's choices, but then at that point who better to minister to me than One who too was torn by His life and literally crucified by the choices of His own people. He and I are very close now that I see Him as He is, and that He never, ever left me.

I share what I do because I want others to realize His faithfulness in their own lives. If I can grow in such soil with His nourishment, then any of us can too if we'll hearken to He who knows our pain so intimately and completely.

My parents have changed, truly, but we don't have the close relationship they want, and as I don't want to make them suffer more than they already do (being aware and repenting of their own sins in the deepest abyss of parental torment), I have decided to let my Redeemer show them my life when they reach the other side in a handful of years.

For now I'm focused on preparing to be sealed to my beloved in just under 2 months. I've been doing proxy sealings for deceased family in the Ogden Temple this entire Easter week, and it's been a truly Celestial experience. I highly recommend it! I am truly exalted by His tender mercies and lovingkindness. All is well because of Him! I will praise and serve Him for delivering me all the days of my life, and in Zion when the time comes.

Your Brother,

Brett

[Kenngo1969]

2 hours ago, Gillebre said:

Thank you, Ken! I appreciate having you and others here as my brothers and sisters in the Lord. It makes all the difference!

Looking back at it all...I was deeply torn by life and the consequences of other's choices, but then at that point who better to minister to me than One who too was torn by His life and literally crucified by the choices of His own people. He and I are very close now that I see Him as He is, and that He never, ever left me.

I share what I do because I want others to realize His faithfulness in their own lives. If I can grow in such soil with His nourishment, then any of us can too if we'll hearken to He who knows our pain so intimately and completely.

My parents have changed, truly, but we don't have the close relationship they want, and as I don't want to make them suffer more than they already do (being aware and repenting of their own sins in the deepest abyss of parental torment), I have decided to let my Redeemer show them my life when they reach the other side in a handful of years.

For now I'm focused on preparing to be sealed to my beloved in just under 2 months. I've been doing proxy sealings for deceased family in the Ogden Temple this entire Easter week, and it's been a truly Celestial experience. I highly recommend it! I am truly exalted by His tender mercies and lovingkindness. All is well because of Him! I will praise and serve Him for delivering me all the days of my life, and in Zion when the time comes.

Your Brother,

Brett

Impressed yet again, Sir.  I feel like shouting, 'Hallelujah!" ... A not-inappropriate reaction this time of year!   (I think you have a knack for bringing that out in me.😀)  While, of course, what you share and how is completely up to you (you would probably want to maintain your anonymity and privacy to a considerable degree in any event, and I understand that completely ... And yes, of course there are the feelings and wishes of other real, live, honest-to-goodness human beings to consider, as well) nevertheless, you have a riveting, compelling story to tell: Perhaps you should consider committing it to print for a wider audience.

Do I dare tell you what my first thought was when I read your "quality-of-soil" comment?  It takes a lot of fertilizer to grow something beautiful!😀

Congratulations on you impending Union!  I hold fast (well, truth be told, sometimes I hold a bit tenuously ... but I hold 😀) to the promise that no blessing, whether in time or in eternity, whether here or hereafter, will be withheld from those who continue faithful.  (Ay!  There's the rub!😀)  While I may not understand His timing or (at least not entirely) His purposes, I do know that He moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform.  (That is, I believe, #285 in our Hymnal: Don't quote me on that!  I'm on mobile: It would be a royal pain to try to look it up!  Heh!  Anyway, it's one of my favorites ...)

What better way to spend time during the Easter season than as a Savior on Mount Zion!  Good for you!

 

Warm Regards and Best Wishes,

Brother Ken 😀

[Bane]

I lost someone to suicide about five years ago.

While the end of her mortal life might not have eased her spiritual pain... of which she had an abundance... I do like to think that she at least found an escape from the torment of the debilitating, continuous, and agonizing physical pain that she had endured for years prior to her death.

[Kenngo1969]

5 hours ago, Bane said:

I lost someone to suicide about five years ago.

While the end of her mortal life might not have eased her spiritual pain... of which she had an abundance... I do like to think that she at least found an escape from the torment of the debilitating, continuous, and agonizing physical pain that she had endured for years prior to her death.

I'm sorry for your loss.  While I'm confident that a Loving Heavenly Father would not condemn someone who seeks an end to seemingly soul-pulverizing spiritual pain (not to mention its equally soul-crushing physical counterpart) through suicide, I think the problem with suicide (snd one of the things, if not the main thing, that keeps me here, to be honest) is that it simply transfers the pain (at least somewhat) to the sufferer's family and friends.

My $0.02.  Actual value, as always, much less.  Others' mileage may vary.