Reclaiming Life: Faith, Hope and Suicide Loss–Film Review

This film discusses the pain, loss and grief that results from suicide. The speakers are Kay Warren, co-founder of Saddleback Church; Marjorie Antus, author of ‘My Daughter, Her Suicide and God; and Ronal Rolheiser, a Roman Catholic priest who is a best-selling author and columnist.

The film is divided into short sections, with each person narrating their own perspectives and experiences with suicide. Some of the topics covered are:

*What kind of person commits suicide?

*The stigma of mental illness and suicide

*The need for forgiveness — both of the person who died and yourself

*The role of the Christian community in recovering from a tragic loss

*Bible verses that comfort

*Regaining hope

*Serving others who have experienced a similar loss

Not everyone will navigate this experience in the same way. Kay Warren said the analogy of a bus trip was helpful to her. Each person is sitting in a different spot on the bus, and notices different things out the window closest to them. How a person grieves will depend upon their personality and their relationship with the person who died. A parent’s grief will differ from the grief of a sibling, for example. It’s important to accept where others are in the process and not expect them all to react the way you do.

Included with the disc are some resources that include suggestions for caring for survivors of suicide loss, and responding to a person who may be at risk for suicide.

VERDICT: 5 STARS. This would be helpful for those going through suicide loss, and those who want to help them. This is a situation that is often ignored because people are so uncomfortable discussing it.

For more about Kay Warren see:

Dangerous Surrender by Kay Warren–Book Review

For more about dealing with grief see:

The Night Lake by Liz Tichenor–Book Review

The Gravity of Joy by Angela Williams Gorrell–Book Review

Dangerous Surrender by Kay Warren–Book Review

It may be dangerous for you to read this book.In it Kay Warren (wife of Pastor Rick Warren) tells the story of her conviction that God was calling her to advocate for people around the world affected by HIV-AIDS.  She found herself “deeply disturbed” and “gloriously ruined” as she was challenged to face her own self-centeredness and unfair opinions of others.

Here are some things Kay learned that should disturb anyone living in our country:

“….if you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75 percent of the people in this world!  If you have any money in the bank and some in your wallet and some spare change in a dish somewhere, you are among the top 8 percent of the world’s wealthy; …. If you can attend worship services without the fear of harrassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people n the world.”

I was especially convicted by her chapter on “The Kingdom of Me.” Kay describes her reluctance to engage with the problem of HIV.  You will find the sorts of excuses we all make:

• The problem is just too big
• I have enough to do
• The people I will need to associate with may damage my reputation
• I may have to change

The ugly reality is what stands most in the way of our surrender to God’s plan for us, is simple:  we care more about ourselves than we do about the suffering of others.

Each chapter with a prayer of surrender and some questions to ponder alone or with a reading partner or small group.  There are further resources and more questions for each chapter at the end of the book.

VERDICT:  5 STARS.  This would be a great read for a small group study.