Do you think I don’t know about suicide? I was suicidal for most of my life. I wanted to end my life for as long as I can remember...so I do know about this subject. And btw when you describe it as a mental illness you give it power over you....
Is it mental illness or lack of faith? I don‘t know exactly when I was saved...I think I first heard the gospel when I was a child and rode a bus to a church. I don’t know how long I went but they gave me a pink NT on one of those times..but I didn’t go for long. I think I must have believed what they said but I didn’t go to a church again. My mom’s a catholic whatever that means...she never ‘practiced’ it from what I ever saw and I thought my dad was an atheist. Anyway, from the 7th grade on I was severely depressed and by the time I reached high school I wanted to kill myself. I even had a dagger that I got and was going to slit my wrists somewhere at some point..that was my desire.
It wasn’t until I got married that I really sought out Jesus and thought He could help me with wanting to kill myself...though that wasn’t something that God took care of in my life right away...it took years and years of God working in me and one day, I was driving along and thought about driving my car off the bridge into the traffic below and God saying what about the people driving below..and that was that..I decided to really trust God and haven’t wanted to kill myself since.
So, I’ve thought about this a lot....that it is indeed a sin to get so depressed about your life that you won’t even trust God. God is good and He cares for you...to deny that and think suicide is your only option is a sin and wrong.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.