A devotion for our church for June 6, 2021. Our pastor is doing a summer sermon series around popular musicals.
The musical Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway in 2016 and was later nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning six. A film adaptation is scheduled to premiere later this year.
The plot reminds me of several movies and other stories, where the hero makes a big mistake and, as a consequence, must make amends in order to find redemption. Evan Hansen is a teenager with serious social anxiety. His therapist recommends that he write letters to himself to describe what will be good about his life that day. His mother also suggests that Evan have people sign the cast on his arm; he had broken his arm falling out of a tree. Evan has a crush on Zoe Murphy. Evan tries to befriend Zoe’s brother Connor. Connor finds one of Evans’ letters in a printer, reads it, and becomes angry at Evan for mentioning Zoe. Unfortunately, Connor has the letter when he (Connor) died by suicide a few days later. When the Murphy family talk to Evan about Connor, Evan makes up a story that he and Connor were close. The tale has unintended consequences, and Evan must make amends. Later, it is revealed that Evan himself had attempted suicide; the fall from the tree had not been an accident but rather an attempt to take his own life. As Pastor Linda pointed out in her message Sunday, most of the people in the story are lost in their own way.
A couple devotions ago, I wrote about my own struggles with high functioning depression. I have never been so sad as to consider suicide, but I’ve been low enough—especially when I was young—to know what a person might be feeling before taking such a tragic action.
When depression gets that bad, you know the obvious—suicide will result in death—but you’re so confused and lost that you just want the pain to stop. The prospect of stopping the pain blinds you to the finality of the act. You also may be so confused, that you think people will be relieved that you’re gone—rather than devastated.
Since this is Pride Month, it’s worth noting teen suicide rates among LGBTQ youth are higher than the general population, and even higher in families with parents who identify as Christian.
Our scriptures are classics of God’s great love. Jesus tells the parable of the shepherd who makes the effort to find the one lost sheep out of his 100 sheep. “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.”
He also tells the parable of the woman who has lost one of her ten silver coins. Of course, she will make the effort to find the coin. “Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
I don’t want to imply that people who are depressed and suicidal are “sinners.” Of course, we’re all sinners; something is amiss in each of our lives. Rather, I want to highlight the deep love and anxious care that God takes toward people who are struggling—whatever may be the source of the struggle. When I was young—and today, too—I found these stories so comforting. They gave me a sense of value for my own life! God never, ever gives up on us.
Jesus is particularly concerned about people who are lost in life. Jesus also directs these lessons toward anyone who are unfeeling toward those who are struggling. We should never let a veneer of respectability hide our own lostness and harden our hearts toward others.
This week, check out the website of the National Alliance on Mental Illinois (https://nami.org). Also, make yourself aware of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is available 24/7 (1-800-273-8255). Their website is https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org Think about the issues of mental health and depression, not only for your own benefit, but in case you may need to help someone close to you!
For your prayer this week: think about aspects of your own life where you feel the most vulnerable and confused. Pray about ways that God helps you in those aspects.
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