I had to identify the body of a relative who had committed suicide. A gruesome task, but it had to be done.
A very sad thing to have to do...but only God knows what drove the person to it. Mental illness is a real thing and the reader of hearts is the only Judge..
>>I had to identify the body of a relative who had committed suicide. A gruesome task, but it had to be done.<<
Something new for my prayers — that I never have to do that.
I really hope this doesn’t affect you permanently. I am not sure it would not stay with me for quite some time.
I’ve got one relation who took his own life. He’s buried in our family graveyard. He coached sports and was principal of a brand new high school.
It was something of a cause for gossip and scandal that he was given a Christian burial among some, but he was family. This happened before I was born, and I didn’t learn of this until I was a senior at the high school of which he was the first principal. There was a family scholarship bearing his name for which I was eligible, and that was when I put two and two together and had it all explained by family members.
To me, there’s nothing to be gained from spiting the remains of a dead person. There’s also nothing to be gained from assuming they’re burning in hell, even though the Bible is reasonably clear that it’s forbidden to us and not our decision to make.
I look at his tombstone every time I’m there and wonder what went through his mind. He seemingly had everything going for him, apparently.