Bridgend is a very ordinary small town in South Wales. In 2007 however, it hit the headlines as the town where 13 teenagers had killed themselves. Seven of the thirteen were friends, and it appears that their deaths were linked to their “chatting” on social networking sites such as Bebo. There was even a suggestion that these young people had been encouraged to think that it was “cool” to have an internet tribute site after dying!

This particularly disturbing series of events is however, not on its own. It’s part of a wider, national picture. Nearly 5,000 people in England and Wales kill themselves every year. Suicide is the Number One cause of death among 15 to 44 year olds. Teenage girls are twice as likely to attempt suicide as teenage boys, and a staggering 19% of gay and lesbian teenagers have admitted to trying to put an end to their lives. Statistics show that parents’ divorce, homelessness, unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse increase the risk of a suicide attempt in depressed teenagers.

Firstly, you need to know that there’s a remedy for guilt. Is it guilt that is driving you or them to despair? Whatever your friends might think or believe or say, if you’re living outside the limits of what God says is right, then guilt is unavoidable. It’s God’s fire alarm. But guilt can be wiped out – totally! Listen to these words, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1.18). Those are God’s words, and your name’s on the envelope! It may be that your guilt has its roots in breaking God’s laws on sex, on respecting your parents, or on drinking too much. It doesn’t matter. God has sent Jesus to settle all our debts of disobedience. He cancelled them by dying for everyone of us who’s ready to turn from and renounce for ever our rebellion against God.

Secondly, there’s an answer for feelings of worthlessness. Do you feel as if your life doesn’t matter? That you’re unimportant? That nobody would miss you if you weren’t around? Then think again! You’re precious to God. He knows the number of hairs on your head. He made you, keeps you going, and wants to rescue you from an empty, pointless life. That’s why He sent Jesus into our world – to re-open contact between heaven and earth, you and Him. To restore you to a relationship with someone who will never walk out on you, never leave your side.

Thirdly, killing yourself is never a solution. Problems aren’t solved by suicide – in fact, they get worse. For a start, people who kill themselves leave behind a trail of disaster. Lives that will be permanently scarred by their death. What’s more, because suicide is murder – self-

murder, the door to God’s kingdom is closed. No unrepentant murderers are allowed in. That means that far from “resting in peace”, those who kill themselves are in real danger of a premature entry into hell!