Self-Harm

We usually think of self-harm as something that only affects a small minority of people, like "those weird emo kids" and people who suffer from mental illnesses such as depression.

But today, I realized that the opposite is true. Everyone practices self-harm. You, me, our neighbours, our coworkers, our friends, even our rolemodels and heroes and spiritual leaders… everyone.

The teenage girl who cuts herself to deal with the pain of her parents' divorce. The bipolar young man trying to take his own life. The young woman who deprives herself of sleep every night. The drug addict slipping another dirty needle into her arm. The middle aged man on the sidewalk puffing on a cigarette. The businessman bringing a prostitute into his hotel room. The teenager googling porn. The shoplifter slipping a pack of gum into her pocket. The student out drinking instead of finishing the major assignment due tomorrow morning. The Bible school student more concerned with appearing spiritual than being spiritual.

Self-harm, in its infinite number of forms, is something we all need to be saved from. It's the reason why Jesus lived and died and was resurrected. Jesus sacrificed himself (in both his life and his death) so that we can live free from self-harm, which is really just a synonym of the word sin.

I want to spend the rest of my life alive.