If you’ve lived more than a few years into adulthood then you probably remember the old Jim Croce song, Time in a Bottle. If I could save time in a bottle… as the old song goes. It’s a beautiful song, but I’m glad it’s not true. I’m glad we can’t keep time in a bottle. The wonderful thing about time is that it is constantly changing and always renewing. The old washes new again, storms calm down, and the tide goes back out. Things do get better over time.
Last week I heard the unfortunate news of another 15 year-old boy in my community who committed suicide. There is nothing that gives me chills more than hearing that. I did not know the young boy personally but I know that he came from a good and loving home. No drugs or alcohol were involved. Those things certainly do not make a person immune to life’s challenges, but it does make you want to question why.
If I could go back and tell my 15 year-old self, or even my 25 year-old self one thing about life, it would be this:
You have lots of time.
Don’t rush. Don’t worry. You have plenty of time to make mistakes and start over again. You will have lived 3 or 4 different life times by the time you reach 50. No one ever stays the same person they are at 15. The world evens out after a while – the popular ones, the pretty ones, the smart ones and the ones that don’t fit in – it all works out in the larger world. So, take your time to figure it out, however long you need. You’ll be glad you did.
If life still seems too much, at least give yourself the time to talk to a neutral person. Call 1-800-273-8255 or click on Suicide Prevention Lifeline
If you ask God, He will give you all the time you need to figure things out. Because God will never tell anyone they are worthless.
Author’s note: I wrote this post the day before Robin William’s suicide. For all of those who have been affected by a loved one’s suicide, I pray that you will feel God’s loving arms around you and know that He grieves with you. Reach out to God and He will meet you.
