The Outward Ripples Of Caring Series

Praying without really caring for others is a waste of words. As we pray, simultaneously we should care for them by doing our best to help them spiritually, emotionally or simply arranging for food and shelter when needed, then we should pray. As Christianity charges believers with the obligation of caring for the suffering of others, and what could be worse than not reaching out and learning someone you knew committed suicide?

Suicide can be thought of as a mental illness often manifested because of severe depression. Consider these telling statistics of the USA population:

In 2021 more than 47,600 people in the USA died of suicide.

More than 12.2 million adults seriously dwelled on suicide

More than 3.2 million adults made plans to commit suicide

More than 1.2 million adults attempted suicide

The number of suicides in 2021 was still lower than the all-time high of 48,000 plus in 2018.

The rate of men committing suicide was 3.9 times the female rate.

Note: These figures do not reflect children—as their privacy is protected in most government reports. Age-specific suicide rates begin with age group ten to fourteen because determining suicidal intent in children under age ten is difficult. Consequently, very few deaths are classified as suicides for people under age ten.

Every day more than 130 people in America commits suicide. How many of them, would you guess, knew the Lord, or had someone really care about their well being?

With those gruesome statistics, there is room for those people who care, to care for the people in desperate need of help and loving attention. Not Christian people who will turn away from the needy, but persons who are genuinely concerned about the well being of other human beings. God is looking for people, such as us, to save lives, to assist with showing the path to salvation, and to make a huge difference in this world and the next. One instance of a caring touch can create a ripple of Christian love that can, in turn, touch thousands and thousands of lives. All you have to do is start your own individual ripples. Now it is true you may not see how your generated caring ripples expand or how many others are positively affected—but they will!

Eva Jo was strolling absentmindedly along a big city sidewalk moving away from her downtown university campus with a small tote bag of groceries. The gnarly fingers of depression were deepening their grip on her mind about her depressing circumstances. The rent was due and the cost of next semester's books seemed astronomical and to make matters worse, her waitress tips last night could only be tabulated as meager.

The ever skyward-reaching buildings reminded her of a recent Bible lesson about the Tower of Babel. When a wandering flyspeck of soot lodged into her eye, her feet stumbled a step or two in the street's crosswalk. Suddenly her foot struck the oncoming curb and poor Eva Jo and her vegetables, eggs, and canned goods tumbled to the ground.

Kneeling in a circle of laughing teenage boys, Eva Jo hurriedly gathered up all that was salvageable and tried not to look up at those who were mocking her. Years ago, she had learned the art of drowning out such taunting laughter. All she wanted to do was pickup her stuff, and move away from there as soon as possible.

As she reloaded her tote bag, she realized that an unbeckoned young man had come to assist. She smiled shyly at his unwelcome intervention, but said not a word. After tossing the half-dozen container of eggs in a nearby trash can, she adjusted her loaded tote and set out again.

Three years passed and Eva Jo was at her graduation ceremony. Since she had earned the prestigious honor of being named Summa Cum Laude, she was asked to speak to and on the behalf of her graduating class.

Eva Jo spoke articulately about the challenges of the near future and the hardships of the last four years. But one particularly depressing moment stood out. She said one day she was going home while thinking of suicide when she tripped on a curb and a group of teenage boys laughed at her in a mean spirited way. However, while she was picking up her stuff, a young man stopped laughing, shushed the group, and for no reason assisted her in helping to gather up her scattered belongings. That, she said, was when I recognized that there were still good people in this world who cared for strangers.

“Ever since that mundane chance encounter,” she said, “instead of concentrating on the depressing things of life, I have tried to do one or more good deeds each and every day. Sometime I was lucky and was able to do several.”