Absolutely Yours

Help Me To Die

When I answered the phone, a frazzled voice said, “I’m so tired of living. I wish the Lord would just come and take me away. Allen, would you pray for the Lord to come and get me?” As we talked, she explained that all of her friends had passed on. “My hearing is shot, and I can barely see. My balance is so bad, I’m afraid to go out. And now,” her voice whispered, “I’m totally dependent on others for my care. There’s no reason for me to live. I don’t know why the Lord is keeping me here.”

I shared this conversation with a friend who later asked, “Allen, in a case like this, is it okay to want to die?” I am going to answer this question, but the answer is skewed toward the readers of this blog who profess to believe that God Is All – the only Presence and Power.

What’s Driving The Urge To Die?

The woman on the phone seems to be living in a prison of loss – loss of sight, hearing, companionship and independence. Many have been there, and many seem to be there now. And they all want out by the only way they know: death.

What’s driving this death wish? An easy answer suggests unbearable losses. Is that the reason, or is it the belief that there is no living way out of their situation? I ask this because there seems to be a pattern. I’ve noticed that after the losses reach a certain threshold, people stop praying. Why? Because they think it won’t help.

Making Goulash? Add A Bit Of Spiritual Reasoning

Still, the question hangs in the air: “In a case like this, is it okay to want to die?” If you’ve imagined yourself in a similar situation, you probably think the answer is an easy “Yes.” And I bet you’ve cooked up some spiritual goulash to justify your answer. Hold your horses! First, take a moment to answer these questions:

• Is it okay to believe that a loving God authorizes pain, suffering and loss?
• If pain, suffering and loss are not authorized by God, are they real powers?
• Is it okay to believe God, Who is the Substance of the Body, is prone to time or disease-based deterioration?
• Is it okay to believe that so-called human problems are irreversible – that God’s Omnipresent Perfection cannot be discerned and experienced despite the nature of the difficulty?
• Is it okay to believe that a hopeless situation exists in Omnipresent Perfection?
• Is it okay to say I and God is One and believe that you are in a hopeless situation?

Did you answer “no” to the questions above? Good. Swing back (keeping your answers in mind) and answer the original question: Is it ever okay to want to die?

“But Allen,” you say, “I’m not talking about me. I know someone in a similar situation who wants to die. What about them?” Here is the short answer: THERE’S NONE BUT THE ONE.