Help for Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Thoughts

(June 12, 2018.  I updated the links October 2024.)  

It's so sad to hear about all the celebrities who have recently committed suicide (or about anyone who has committed suicide, for that matter).  My heart breaks for them, for the pain they went through, and for the ones who love them, for the pain they are now going through.  It is truly a tragedy.

To anyone who is hurting really badly, who is struggling with overwhelming anxiety or depression, who is considering taking their own lives ... I dedicate this post.  Please, take some time to look through some of the links here.  This is a round-up of some on-line resources or posts about dealing with anxiety or depression, particularly as a Christian.


But first:

Quick tips for help:

If you are desperate for some immediate help and don't want to look through the links I have below, try some of these (but if it's really bad and you might hurt yourself, call 911 or go to the emergency room):

Starting Your Own Relationship with Jesus Christ (And Why We Need Him!)

(Updated 3/12/20, to simplify it, add new stuff, and make it cleaner-looking.  I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.)

John 3: 16: “For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

God so loved the world.  He didn’t just love the world; He so loved the world.  He so loved the world that He (Jesus) would die in our place before He would miss out on an eternal relationship with us.  He knew that we would disappoint Him and hurt Him and fail Him, but He still so wanted a relationship with us that He made a way.  He knew that there would be many, many people that would reject His gift of love and salvation, but an eternity spent with those who would choose Him was worth the price of dying on the cross.  That is some amazing love!

Let me ask you something: If you were to die today or if Jesus came back today, would you be ready?  Seriously.  This life as we know it isn't going to go on forever.  And we are not invincible.  People die every day, in every kind of way.  Are you ready to face eternity, whatever comes the moment after you take your last breath?  Have you figured out who Jesus is and why He matters so much?

Because this will be what matters most the moment after you die.  Actually, it's what matters most in this lifetime, too, because it greatly affects what happens the moment after you die.

"Bring me pain, Lord, if it brings You glory!"

(Updated 10/6/19) 


I’ve always found the statements of “I want the Lord to do whatever He wants in my life to bring Him the most glory possible, even if it means bringing me pain” to be inspirational …

and a bit “off.”

When I was 21 (half my lifetime ago), I went to Papua New Guinea for a summer on a mission trip.  And I told my mom that I picked PNG over any other place because it was so remote and primitive.  I said that I wanted to have everything taken away to really challenge me, to grow my faith in new ways.  And I meant it.  I really did.  My heart was in the right place.

But my mom said something wise, something that stuck.  She said, “Don’t ask for that!  Never ask for that!  Because He could take away everything – your legs, your eyesight, your health, your home, etc.”

Wow!  So true.

As I thought about it, I realized that I didn’t really want God to do “whatever.”  I didn’t want Him to take away all my comforts, just the ones I could do without for a summer.  I didn’t want to be broken into pieces, just smooth off a couple rough edges.  I didn’t want to be tried like Job was; I just wanted a little adventure that would grow my faith in fun, exciting, safe ways.