9/16/13 Photographer: Adam Rose
When Matthew Warren died by suicide, Easter 2013, his parents’ hearts were shattered. He was only 27 years old. Rick and Kay Warren were known for a ministry of hope.
How would they survive his tragic death? Where was hope now?
The Warrens share some remarkable insights they learned and lived.
16 Insights
1. “I’d rather have all my questions unanswered and walk with God than not walk with God and have all my questions answered.” – Rick
2. “I’m terrible but I’m OK. In other words, we’re going to survive and someday we’ll thrive again. It’s the worst thing that could ever happen.” – Kay
3. “I’ve cried every single day since Matthew died, but that’s actually a good thing. Grief is a good thing. It’s the way we get to the transitions of life.” – Rick
4. “We’re not in control but we do have a greater hope and we do have a source of joy that isn’t based on our circumstances.” – Rick
5. “Well if you look at the risk factors of what puts people at risk for suicide, Matthew had almost none of the risk factors…The main risk factor for him was mental illness and he had that.” – Kay
6. “I was overwhelmed by the love of our people. Kay and I have given 33 years to this church. And I felt like they gave it all back at that moment.” – Rick
7. “I never questioned my faith in God. I question God’s plan. There’s a big difference.” – Rick
8. “God isn’t to blame for my son’s death. My son took his life. It was his choice and if I choose to go out and get drunk and get in a car and I was in an accident, killed somebody, I can’t blame God for that.” – Rick
9. “There’s so many moments of terrible choices with mental illness.” – Kay
10. “One of the hard things was forgiving the person who sold him the gun because I didn’t want to forgive him.” – Rick
11. “I have to forgive not for his benefit but for mine.” – Rick
12. “I don’t want to be tied to that person emotionally for the rest of my life.” – Kay
13. “Mental illness creates such horrendous choices for families.” – Kay
15. “We were sobbing. We were just sobbing. The day I feared might happen one since he had been born and the day I prayed would never happen, happened.” – Rick
16. “One thing that needs to change legally is to give families more power to dealing with people who are mentally ill in their family.” – Rick
Mental Health Posts:
“Things Christians Tend To Get Wrong About Depression”
“Sisterhood Of The Semi-Colon”
APPLICATION: Which statement stood out to you? Please leave a comment below. Thank you.
I write to inspire people to be real, grow an authentic faith in Jesus, enjoy healthy relationships and discover their life purpose. If this material is helpful to you, please follow me.
- Subscribe. I’ll put helpful content into your email box on Mondays and Thursdays, as well as upcoming events at North Pointe Community Church, Edmonton, Alberta.
- Follow on Twitter. I daily tweet info I think you’ll be interested in.
- Friend on Facebook. If you “like” my page, let me know you found me here.
- Connect on Linkedin. I like this because it reminds me what people think I’m good at.
