Loneliness & the Bridge
Several months ago I was reading the Lakeland Ledger and stumbled upon an article about suicide attempts from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay. Here is a portion of the article:
About 120 people have killed themselves there since the higher, cable-supported version of the Skyway opened in April 1987, carrying traffic across the mouth of Tampa Bay on Interstate 275. For unknown reasons, the rate started picking up in the mid-1990’s, and during the past decade an average of eight people a year have died there, Highway Patrol and sheriff’s office statistics show. The worst was 2003: 13 dead, 10 other attempts….the vast majority drive less than an hour to get there, paying the $1 toll to get on the bridge. Many leave notes in their cars. Records show them coming at all hours on every day of the week. The most popular day: Sunday.
This last line popped out of the page because I know what I am doing on Sunday mornings. Sunday is definitely not a lonely day for me. However, for many people, they are longing for significant friendship, community, and relational connectedness but simply don’t know how to find it. They are not connected to a church and so Sunday turns out to be one of the loneliest days of the week. One of the ongoing opportunities for followers of Jesus Christ is to be on the lookout for lonely people and invite them into loving community. Jesus is our model as he has pursued us and called us “friends”. Who needs your friendship today?
Psalm 68:6 “God sets the lonely in families…”