Suicide

The editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer hit the proverbial nail on the head when it opined: “Many Filipinos are trying to make sense of the completely unexpected suicide of a highly accomplished man who once had his hand on the levers not only of power but of history.” (Source: http://inquirer.net/) Did former Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Angelo Reyes kill himself because he was really guilty of the corruption charges hurled against him? Or, was it a desperate, last-ditch effort to save whatever’s left of his honor? So, right now, speculations are rife. “For many of us, however, this search for meaning is little different from the so-called blame game.”(Ibid) Who or what drove him to pull that trigger? Yet I’m afraid the answers to our questions will be buried with him. Now I fully understand why a character from one of my favorite TV shows wryly commented, “Suicide is selfish. You leave everyone to clean up your mess.” When asked about my thoughts about it, I replied, “Sad. Shocking. Senseless. Better alive and tell the truth than dead and be buried with it.”

It’s just ironic that General Reyes shot himself in front of his mother’s grave, where we find these words etched on the now blood-splattered tombstone: “Life must go on… We learn to live with our hurt and try to make the most of what is with us.” (Ibid) His mother who loved to write penned those words herself. But, instead of heeding those words, which I believe is also etched in his heart, he decided not to go on with life and to make the most of it.

Ephesians 5:15-17 command us, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (NIV)When we live careless, foolish lives, we are still breathing and yet are no longer living. When we waste our life opportunities instead of making the most of it, we commit suicide without actually taking our lives. According to Charles Hodge’s Ephesians commentary, to make the most of life is to rescue it from waste or abuse.I like how The Message version goes: “So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.” To really live in the real sense of living, we must seek to understand God’s will. And we will only know what God wants for us through His Word.

Brethren, let us make the most of the life God gave us.

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