A Text Message Prevented Me From Dying By Suicide
And a perfect example of breaking the law to save a life.
(Trigger warning: suicidal ideation)
Seventh-day Adventists believe the fourth commandment, the one about the Sabbath, still applies nowadays universally, not just to Jews. Nine years ago, a friend broke the law to save my life. Let me tell you the story.
The Plan
The plan was straightforward. I had just dropped my family off at home, and I was going to drive to the church I pastored, go to the mechanical room in the basement and hang myself.
I hadn’t considered that the church would be packed the following day and my body would be discovered during service.
The meds weren’t working, my boss had told me that week to leave my job due to my mental health illness, and my wife was a stay-at-home mom with two little ones. According to my depression’s shattered mind, the solution was to end my life.
It would give my wife and daughters a new opportunity in life without the heavy load that I was.
As you can imagine, I wasn’t thinking straight. However, I believed my plan made perfect sense. I was numb. There were no emotions attached to the imminent hanging of my body.
