Week 44 - Tim White - If You Knew Me…

The Call That Reminded Me Why We Do This

Not long ago, I responded to a call involving a 19-year-old young woman who had attempted to take her own life. Thankfully, she was unsuccessful. I was on a first response unit that day rather than a transport unit, so I reached her first, and my time with her was limited. My primary treatment was simple: make sure she knew somebody cared about her, and that somebody was thankful she was still here.

She was sitting in her car. I squatted down beside the open door, looked her in the eyes, and called her by name. I told her I was so thankful she wasn’t successful, because she matters. She said nobody cared about her. I was able to tell her, truthfully, that I did care. In that moment, I really did.

Then she said something that hit me hard: “If you knew me, you wouldn’t like me.”

Ouch. I’ve said that about myself before. And I’ve come to believe it’s a lie from the enemy.

Before I could say much more, the transport unit arrived and took over her care. As a chaplain, part of me was sad. I didn’t have the time to tell her how much her heavenly Father loves her, so much that he gave his only Son to die in her place and in mine. I didn’t even get to pray with her. But I can promise you she was prayed for the whole way to the hospital.

Does She Know What God Says About Her?

I keep coming back to that question. In Jeremiah 1:5, God says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” That was spoken to Jeremiah when God called him to be a prophet, but the truth holds for you and me too. Before we were ever conceived, God knew us.

Psalm 139:13-18 goes even further. It describes God knitting us together in our mother’s womb, watching us take shape in secret, recording every day of our lives before a single one had passed. It asks, “How precious are your thoughts about me?” They’re too many to count, outnumbering the grains of sand.

Does she know that? Does she know Jesus left the 99 to search for the one? You and I were that one the Good Shepherd came looking for. So is she.

A Challenge for You

Read Luke 15. Jesus leaves the 99 sheep safe in the fold to go after the one that’s lost. Let’s go with him.

And a quick reminder: it’s not your pastor’s job to do all the evangelizing. Your pastor’s job is to equip you and me to do it. With the holidays coming up, this is a perfect opportunity. Statistics show that around Christmas and Easter, people are most receptive to an invitation to church. So let’s invite our friends, our neighbors, anyone we can. Then let’s pray like crazy for the ones we invite.

Who knows? You and I might be the catalyst that helps someone make a decision that changes their eternal destiny.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S.) at any time.