Kameron

I'd seen most of their faces before. They still had the same expressions on as they did a year ago, almost to the day, when one of their other friends and classmates had taken his life. And now, here they were again, in the same room, at the same school, tears in their eyes, wondering what in the world had just happened that would cause another of their friends to choose the same option - to take their own life.

There are just as many unanswered questions today, the same questions as there were a year ago. But the most often asked question, by far, is simply "Why?"

That question just kind of hangs out there . . . unanswered. It's more of a cry really than it is a question. Why? . . . . That has got to be one of the biggest voids left behind when someone takes their life. It is a question that will never be answered.

We still try to figure everything out for ourselves though. But like trying to assemble a puzzle that doesn't contain all the pieces, we are destined to always fall short. Still, we hope we can at least wrap our minds around the situation and make some sense out of it all. Why did she do this? Why didn't she call me? Why didn't she reach out to SOMEONE? All these questions, the ones we all want answers to, will never be answered. And that hurts . . . big time.

I took a counseling class a few years ago at our church. It was one of those DVD class things where you listen for hours and try not to fall asleep. They always started out each DVD, each class, with the same Bible verse from John.

"In this world you will have trouble." - John 16:33

Isn't THAT the truth! The world in which we live, especially this country it seems, has really taken a nose dive over the past 50 years. Why is that? There's that question again! Why? I believe I know where to find the answer.

There is a billboard by the side of the road as you head out of our town towards the east. It reads, "Got a question? Jesus is the answer." That's it? Are you kidding me Bob? That's all you can come up with? It can't really be that simple? Can it? Is Jesus really the answer to all of the "WHY?" questions we all seem to be asking lately? I believe . . . that He is.

That verse we read earlier. The verse from John from that counseling DVD series that supposedly had all of the answers. I don't remember them ever reciting mentioning the second half of that verse, the most important part of the verse. It says, "But take heart! I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

I am sure that there are plenty of people, who are smarter than me, who will tell you their opinions of the "why's" and the "how comes." But as for me, I believe that the biggest source of problems in this dark and fallen world is that there simply is just not enough Jesus in it.

We've taken God out of our school systems, right? And look what's happening there. We have a government who is removing The Ten Commandments from our courthouses and buildings. God is being removed from every institution that was founded on His beliefs!

I didn't know Kameron all that well. Same with Austin. But that doesn't diminish the love and compassion I feel for them, their families and their friends. It doesn't stop me from feeling like I could have done something. It doesn't stop us from thinking, "If only Austin had called someone" or "If only Kameron had picked up a phone." Those are questions worth asking. But do they really lead to the answer that would have stopped them from doing what they did. Close, but not quite.

I think that all people in desperate situations DO need to reach out to someone. But that someone should not be us. That someone needs to be Jesus. He is the answer to every question we could ever think of asking. Yet we seldom call on Him like we should. We have to get to the point in our relationship with Christ that we will pick up our Bibles instead of a gun . . . or a bottle of pills. We need to seek answers to the pain we feel in this world, not in our own hands, but in the arms of Christ. We must stop thinking in terms of this life and start thinking about the life to come.

So what do we do moving forward from such a loss? Well, I believe that our only hope is to immerse ourselves in Christ. He must be our every thought and our every need. Jesus IS the answer, just like that billboard says. His power over this world and over death has already been proven. He has overcome the world. He did that when he rose from death to life 2000 years ago. He is STILL alive today.

We need to take that message to everyone we know. We must become desperate to spread word of His saving grace. As a young friend of mine said recently on Facebook "We need a revival." She knows. The last thing we want to be saying is, "I wish I had talked to my friend about Jesus."

His offer of eternal life is available to anyone. Let's spread the news! We need our loved ones to pick up that gift and wear it proudly for it is only through Christ that any of us can be truly be saved from death.

I have heard that both Kameron and Austin were believers. That is good. I hope that is true. Then I will rejoice when I get to heaven and am able to see them once again. At the same time though I think that there needs to be more to our relationship with Jesus than just a simple belief. We must ALL make Him the focus of our lives, our every thought held captive by His presence. Jesus MUST be our every answer. Jesus must become our all-in-all.

 

You Are My All In All by Nicole Nordeman

 

Please join me in praying for the families and friends of Kameron and Austin and for all those who have lost loved ones in this world. They need peace and comfort and rest . . . and those things can, truly, only be supplied by our Lord and Savior. And please pray that those who do not know Jesus would reach out to Him, would reach out to a friend who knows Him, or a pastor or to Jesus Himself. He IS the answer. Pray that they ask the question. Thank you.

This post is dedicated to the family and friends of Kameron and Austin. May you ALL find peace and rest in the arms of Jesus. We love you all.