Every time I watch It’s a Wonderful Life I discover something new. As I listened to a conversation between George Bailey played by James Stewart and Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore), God revealed to me a spiritual truth. After Uncle Billy loses $8000 at the bank, George panics, begging Mr. Potter for a loan. A series of questions during this exchange leads Mr. Potter to proclaim, “George, you worth more dead than alive,” referring to George’s fifteen thousand dollar life insurance policy. These words lead George to contemplate jumping off a bridge to save his family from experiencing bankruptcy.
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, 2 Corinthians 11:14.
In the 1985 comedy Better Off Dead, John Cusack plays Lane Meyer, a high school skier who get’s dumped by his girlfriend. Desperately trying to win Amanda (Beth Truss) back, a series of stunts go unnoticed. While everyone in his family is succeeding, Lane sees himself as a failure. With his only friend a nerd, Lane comes to the conclusion that he would be better off dead, then people would miss him. At the time, watching someone attempt suicide unsuccessfully day after day seemed funny. What I realized last night is suicide is the lie from the Devil that leads to death.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, 1 Peter 5:8.
During my days as a junior high student, I was a mess. My mood swings were volatile, usually more down than up. Since I lived for the moment, living and dying with the outcome of every sporting event that I competed in, I experienced emotions like a roller coaster ride. Depression influenced me to believe that I too would be better off dead. After devising a plan, I changed my mind when a friend from school beat me to it, hanging himself. While I haven’t had an angelic encounter like George Bailey, the thought of suicide blinds you from realizing the gift of life is wonderful. May this blog help you expose the lie that leads to death.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 