These haunting words tweeted by Tyler Clementi just prior to his death in September paint a picture of a young man so tormented by events in his life are really a portal into the soul of an all-too-high number of college students. Suicide ranks as the second highest cause of death among college-aged adults in the United States.

Why? What can the community of faith do that really makes a difference?

Campuses have long offered suicide prevention programming through health centers, residence hall programming, campus awareness campaigns, even in health and wellness classes.  And it’s important enough to get that kind of attention…50% of college students consider suicide (at least 5% succeed). For those who talk about it, one common theme emerges: stress. And lots of it. Even sources of stress have increased in recent years, from 43 named sources to now over 55. Too much to swallow.

Stress among college students is so high that half of them consider ending their life? So, rationally speaking it would be better to end it all than learn to deal with or circumvent their stress? Surely not.

It is unfortunate that so many students make it to college without the coping skills necessary to deal with this exponentially more trying season of their lives. It is easy to blame parents, schools, and communities—yes, even communities of faith—for the lack of preparation to deal with the more adult storms of life. Until these kids are launched, we really do all raise them together, for good or bad, whether we agree to it or not. Sometimes silence and abdication are voluminous.

Influential Christians on campus would be remiss to pass on the opportunity they have to engage college students on these very important life issues. If personal faith is irrelevant in times like these, it would appear to be irrelevant always.

When we see Christ’s response to storms, we are encouraged. Matthew 8 tells us that Jesus was already on the boat when the storm came…not hiding out waiting in case someone called to him, not watching from a distance, not isolating himself so he was personally protected…but on the boat. Asleep, in fact. At rest.

In v. 26, Jesus asks, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” It is easy to infer a Jesus who is frustrated that he was awakened and frustrated that, yet again, his friends don’t get it, or him.

I wonder if Jesus’ response to them is more like what I might say to my child when he is experiencing an irrational fear…one that is very real to him, but that he must know he is being protected by someone who understands already. By someone who knows about this fear and knows how to slay it. By someone who can protect him.

I think if we are able to view our congregations, our students, as less of a mission field and as more of an assembly of terrified sojourners who just need to know that someone knows, someone understands, someone is present, concerned, invested, loving, protecting…maybe, just maybe, we might begin to see some numbers dropping because of the infusion of hope we carry with us everywhere. Just maybe…

Questions:

What can you do to be a part of the solution?

How can you teach students how to cope with life’s stresses within your current ministry paradigm?
What changes can you personally make to help model a life worth exemplifying from this perspective?

==================

Brent Hutchinson is the Community Life Pastor at Rolling Hills Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee. Brent’s background as a marriage and family therapist, student pastor, and camp coordinator has placed him in the lives of people all across the life span. College students might just be one of the more intriguing…

[Back to the Real Life, Real Faith page]