... I prefer strangling and death,
rather than this body of mine.
Job 7: 15
Job 7: 15
"How we deal with death is at least as important as how we
deal with life."
Captain Kirk in Star Trek II
Captain Kirk in Star Trek II
David Marcus: You
were smart enough to tell Saavik that how we deal with death is at least as
important as how we deal with life.
Kirk: Just words…
David Marcus: But good words. That’s where ideas begin.
Star Trek II
On Thursday I received a phone call telling me that a friend of mine had either tried to, or threatened to commit suicide. I had only just returned home from Omaha, Nebraska after four days of meetings, but I immediately threw a few more clean shirts and underwear into my bag and drove another five hours to visit him in the hospital.
One thing that I try to remind myself of when visiting with someone in crisis situations like this is that Job's friends were great friends for the first seven days - until they opened their mouths.
So far I haven't said much. I've tried to listen without offering advice (especially that kind of noxious advice that well meaning Christians proffer: You just need to trust God... You just need to pray...) But he and I (and another of our friends that is here) are fans of Star Trek so these words have come to mind. Like Kirk, I'm not sure I always believe them. And I worry that to my friend in crisis they will sound like "just words..."
But that's where ideas begin. It might be where hope begins...
***
For those who might be curious about such things - the picture above is my own work. It was created from a photograph of an Enterprise model that my other friend (the non-crisis friend) put together, as well as a photo of a lace curtain and a photo some red onions.
No comments:
Post a Comment