From AOL news we read: "John Kevin Hines had been pacing on the Golden Gate Bridge for 40 minutes in anguish, crying. 'If one person asks me what's wrong, I won't go through with this,' he thought, over and over. Eventually, a woman wearing giant sunglasses approached him. "Would you take my picture?" she asked. The 19-year-old accepted the camera from her and clicked it five times. Then he snapped. The moment Hines released his hold on the 4-foot-high railing, he regained his grip on reality. During the 4 seconds between jump and splashdown, he could think clearly. All the problems that had made him want to die moments earlier? Those seemed less overwhelming than a 220-foot plunge into San Francisco Bay. 'Oh, my God, I don't want to die,' he thought. 'What have I done? God, please, save me.' It's a prayer seldom answered. Since the bridge opened in 1937, someone has jumped from it every 2 weeks on average. Out of roughly 2,000 attempts, only 28 "failed." For a man who tried to kill himself, John Kevin Hines is pretty lucky. On his descent from the Golden Gate Bridge, he threw his head back during free fall, which allowed him to hit the water in a seated position — albeit at 75 mph. He opened his eyes as he plunged 50 feet, and as it became darker, he thought, 'I didn't die. What am I going to do now?' A man who moments ago tried to kill himself was desperately fighting for his life now. He broke through the surface just before passing out. At the moment he jumped, a woman who had a Coast Guard friend on speed dial just happened to be driving over the bridge — which is the only reason two Coast Guard members fished Hines out of the water.
 
"Do you know what you just did?" one of them asked.
 
"Yeah, I just jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge."
 
"Why?"
 
"I don't know," said Hines. "I guess I wanted to die."
 
"Do you know how many people we pull out of this water who are dead already?"
 
We read here about a man who reached the end of his rope and threw himself overboard. And...we read about a man who was literally pulled out of the deep...a Jonah who was given a second chance in life. What initially grabs my attention in this story is the fact that, although this man was preparing to die, all he needed to keep him from jumping was an encouraging word...someone who would express some interest and concern about him.
 
I can't help but wonder...who have I passed today that was desperate and needed some positive attention? Did I miss an opportunity to literally "speak life" to someone? Was I so focused on myself that I asked them to put the spotlight on me instead of throwing a life-preserver to them?
 
Would you like to give a Christmas gift to everyone you see? Give them a word of encouragement. Tell them they matter. Look for specific ways to compliment those around you. Greet the people you pass in the store. Talk to strangers...and if you can see that they are hurting...let them know you care. You may save a life with a few loving words from your heart.
 
"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Hebrews 3:12, 13
 
"For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." I Thessalonians 2:11, 12