I’ve heard and read that the number of suicide attempts has gone up during this time of social distancing. Young people, especially, are hit hard by the isolation.
From Psychology Today:
“The rapid increase in depression, self-harm, and suicide since COVID-19 in children and adolescents is alarming and requires our immediate attention . . . we can as parents, educators, and providers, take the initiative to re-empower our children with three vital ingredients: Hope, Creativity, and Fun.”
Hope and creativity–things I get from my faith. In the words of John Squires, Desiring God:
“That said, the only long-lasting cure to such a terrible darkness is the brilliant light of God’s unfailing grace.”
Let’s pray for those who have lost all hope during this self-sheltering season:
Creator God, we lift up the people whose desire to live is slipping away. Pour hope into their empty souls. Shine the brilliant light your grace into their terrible darkness. For those we know, show us how offer a bit of fun, lots of encouragement and a spark of bright hope. For those we don’t know, Lord, use our prayers to shelter them from hopelessness and fear, in Jesus’ name.
