Wearing only Velcro-strapped gray garments as the only covering, 3 bodies were put together in this particular cell. Feet without shoes nor slippers, they were stripped of any material that could be potentially dangerous and be used by their desires to end their lives.
Welcome to the jail’s “Suicide Watch”.
They were in open view, checked alternately and often by the deputies, Sergeant or the Intake Nurse. Their activities were closely monitored and logged on a piece of document. When night time came, they were given blue boats [huge, plastic beds] where they could rest if they wanted to. They would need to patiently endure a long night, only to be seen by the jail’s Psychiatrist in the morning.
Some of them were long time residents of that cell. Not until the Psychiatrist released them, if they remained unstable with their behavior, they would continue to be monitored. If the medications prescribed started to help them and if the Psychiatrist determined that they were not a threat to themselves anymore, they would be released or re-housed in the jail’s general population, or from whatever unit they came from.
I glanced at my watch. The dials were glowing at 12 midnight. I saw him there, just sitting, talking to self. He briefly looked up when he saw me peeking through the huge, glass window. He didn’t say anything. He kept staring.
I motioned for him to come closer to the window. I wanted to talk to him.
“Are you okay?” my question partially deadened by the thick partition in between us.
“I can’t sleep. I tried,” as he pressed his head against the window.
“Are you still hearing voices?”
“Yes.”
“It must be hard. I’m sorry that I can’t give you anything to help you sleep. The evening nurse had already given your medications for the night. But I want you to try to rest, even if you can’t sleep, lay down anyway. So you won’t be tired when the doctor comes in the morning to see you. Then, we’ll let him know that the medications seem not to be helping you, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you,” was the low-toned reply as his footsteps slowly traced the path back to the cold, concrete bench.
“I’ll keep an eye on you. But if you need anything, I want you to let me know,” I added.
Three bodies. Three suffering people. Three different backgrounds. Three different races. But all were in the same boat of finding solutions, of finding hope, of finding a cure to never-ending voices that seemed real, when not real to others. The voices that constantly nagged at them to kill themselves, to end their lives. The treatments consisted of medications and therapies or combination of different modalities. It was worth a try than not to do anything at all.
For life is precious. And the staff will not allow these precious lives to be ended just because they intended to do so. Most of them are not in the right state of minds. They all need help!
We are all the same…Suffering from the eternal death we are facing because of our sins. But others still deny that they are in need of help. They are living a good kind of life. They have everything. Why would they need anyone to help them?
But we all need the hope that the Good News brings. It’s not aimed to a particular person. It is not directed only to people of one race, one sex, or one background. It is aimed to save all of us, “for we are all sinners”.
And we are all precious to the One Who created us in His image... God loves us all. He sent His Son to save us, sinners. No one is outside of His mercy and beyond the reach of His gift of salvation. He wants us ALL to be saved. In God, there is no PARTIALITY or BIAS.
“Pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks.” - 1 Timothy 2:1
From The Message:
Romans 2: 9-11 -”If you go against the grain, you get splinters, regardless of which neighborhood you’re from, what your parents taught you, what schools you attended. But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up. Being a Jew won’t give you an automatic stamp of approval. God pays no attention to what others say [or what you think] about you. He makes up his own mind.”
"All who are wicked will be punished with trouble and suffering. It doesn't matter if they are Jews or Gentiles. But all who do right will be rewarded with glory, honor, and peace, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. God doesn't have any favorites!" -Contemporary English Version
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