We thank Cowboy State Daily for this update. Our hearts are broken for the family and the community of Byron and beyond. Oh Lord, give us strength……We mourn, we weep and we pray……
Cowboy State Daily
Twelve hours after his wife shot her four children and herself, Cliff Harshman found himself sitting in a hospital waiting room in Billings, Montana.
Tranyelle Harshman, 32, lay in her hospital bed, unconscious under a heated blanket the night of Feb. 10.
At 1:30 that afternoon, she’d called 911 from her home in Byron, Wyoming, to say that her four daughters had “been shot,” and to tell law enforcement where they could find the girls throughout the home. She then shot herself. More Here
What leads to suicide?
There’s no single cause for suicide. Suicide most often occurs when stressors and health issues converge to create an experience of hopelessness and despair. Depression is the most common condition associated with suicide, and it is often undiagnosed or untreated. More Here
90% of Americans believe there is a mental health crisis, according to a recent survey conducted by CNN and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Nearly 50% of those who believe there is a crisis also noted there was a severe mental health crisis in their own families.
America’s Mental Health Crisis
I have officiated the funerals of many who have committed suicide. People close to me have committed suicide. Many times I get asked, “Do people who commit suicide go to hell?” I answer NO! I always refer to my great mentor Billy Graham, he answers the question better than me. Please be careful when you are talking to a person about suicide. One of my best friends who was an awesome man of God, suffered much from the suicide of his son, a friend told him, Well, your son is now in hell.” NO! be very careful how you answer that question. Remember, you are not GOD.
Billy Graham got the following question…..
Answer from Billy Graham
Whenever I answer any question about suicide, I pray especially hard that God will give me the right words to say. I know that someone might be reading this who is thinking about that terrible, final act—and I never want to say anything that might encourage them to do it. God wants to help them, and no action brings greater pain to those who are left behind.
Nevertheless, I regret that your friend upset you by saying suicide is the unforgivable sin, because this is not what the Bible says. Only one sin can never be forgiven by God, and that is the sin of turning one’s back on God and rejecting His offer of salvation in Christ. If we reject God, then God has no choice but to reject us. In some cases, rejecting God may lead eventually to suicide (as in the case of Judas), but not always.
God alone knows our hearts, and while suicide is never His will, He knows the pressures and difficulties your husband faced. Remember, it is by God’s grace we are saved, not because we are perfect. The Bible says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).
Take comfort in Jesus’ words: “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25). Then ask Him to help you reach out to others who grieve or may be hurting, and to point them to Jesus, who alone gives us hope.
