T.D. Jakes reveals past suicide attempt and tells others contemplating it 'Don't kill your future'
Article By Priscilla Jackson // EEW Magazine
“In 2016, there were 44,965 recorded suicides, up from 42,773 in 2014.”
Though millions have found the path to life through the ministry of Bishop T.D. Jakes, the preacher recently confessed that, in the past, he tried to end his life.
During a sermon at The Potter’s House of Dallas, the charismatic leader, 61, said “I remember being a little boy and taking a bottle of pills and being sad because I woke up in the morning.”
Though the globally respected mega pastor did not reveal his exact age, or what event, or series of events, triggered the suicide attempt, he did share his current reflections.
“I look back at that little boy and I call him a fool and I tell that little fool, I say, ‘Little fool, you almost messed yourself up. What you was crying about, it wasn’t going to last. God had something better for you,’” he said.
In 2015, over 40,000 Americans took their own lives, exceeding the number of individuals killed in motor vehicle accidents. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control suicides are on the rise—a trend Jakes hopes to see reversed.
For those thinking about ending it all, Jakes pointed out what he called a “terrible thing about committing suicide.”
“When you commit suicide you kill your future,” he explained. Wake up little fool. Don’t kill your future just because of your past. God’s got better for you.”
If you are having thoughts of suicide and need to speak to someone, go to TheHopeLine.com or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).