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“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV).
Summer is typically a time for the highest highs: enjoying the heat waves, relaxing in wave pools, and traveling worldwide. We take vacations, experience amusement parks, and hang out with friends and family. Last week, however, a heartbreaking event at Cedar Point left many in confusion, despair, and chaos. The presence of summer doesn’t mean mental health struggles magically go away, but it does mean they often fly under the radar, unnoticed.
According to WTOL, a man died after jumping from a Cedar Point employee housing building on First Street. While the cause of death is still currently under investigation, organizations like the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation are reminding individuals that this is a call to be informed. Every day, 5 people are lost to suicide, and that’s 5 too many. We may not have known this man personally, but the weight of his pain is rippling across communities and hearts. It can stir up questions, grief, or even our past struggles. So, where does this leave us?
The Reality of Brokenness
In John 16:33, we’re reminded that in this world, we will have trouble. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t mean that we won’t face hard or difficult things, but it does mean that His presence will be with us. Because Jesus has overcome the world, we can overcome the difficulties in this life as we look to the life to come.
Psalm 91:14-16 explains the phenomenon this way:
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (NIV).
We live in a fallen and broken world where mental, emotional, and spiritual pain is real. I wish things like suicide, depression, anxiety, trauma, and abuse didn’t exist. But they do. Again, I want to normalize that Christians are not immune to depression or despair. Many people in the Scriptures, from Elijah to Job, David, and even Jesus, confirm this well. But they also reveal to us that God cares about our suffering and desires to be with us amidst it.