Good Words...That's where Hope Begins

... I prefer strangling and death, 

rather than this body of mine.
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

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.