• Share the Gospel as a source of hope. A new relationship with Jesus Christ can bring about change.
• Gather information about the concerned party for possible emergency procedures. Helping the Suicidal Non-Christian:
1. Unobtrusively, but as early as possible, you should determine if the individual is really suicidal. Has he or she taken pills or poison? Is there a loaded gun which he or she threatens to use? As the conversation develops, try to obtain the person's name, address, and telephone number; the name of a relative living in his or her area; and the name of a pastor and a church. Always solicit information in a casual, friendly way in order to avoid arousing suspicion.
2. Speaking with a suicidal person demands the greatest tact and patience. Be prepared to listen! Let your inquirer do most of the talking until you get the complete picture. Punctuate the conversation with an occasional question to keep it flowing. If he or she makes a statement, seek a further explanation of how he or she feels. Or, ask what has led to that particular conclusion. The phrase, "Tell me about it," is often helpful.
3. As the conversation permits, offer words of encouragement to the suicidal caller. Stress that he or she has called the right place, because we are friends and are willing to listen. Suggest that God can help in revealing solutions and that He really cares and loves.
4. Do not minimize any feeling or conclusion the person may express about his or her problems. He or she should be permitted to vent all the storedup anger, tension, and sense of desperation. Do not contradict any statement made, except to disagree with the proposed "solution." If he or she says that life is not worth living, believe it! Probably for him or her in this present state, it isn't. Avoid such statements as, "Oh, come now, things can't be all that hopeless," or, "You are not as bad as you would like me to think."
5. Assure the individual that there is a solution for his or her problems and there is hope! If he or she will permit God to intervene, He can forgive all the past, making things right through Jesus Christ. Jesus understands suffering. He was maligned, mistreated, and murdered. He truly cares about what happens to us. He loved us so much that He died for us. Christ will come to us where we are—to our level of need, no matter how sinful and hopeless we consider ourselves to be—in order to lift us up and beyond our despair. Jesus says: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NIV).