Many years ago, when I was in a very bad spot, I told my pastor – in all honesty – that I could not remember why I lived.  Sometime later he came back with this reply (or something like it): “You live so that you can give others a reason to live.” What a blessing it was to hear that! That thought quickly lifted me up.

When I’m down, repeating that statement to myself always gives me hope. It helps me remember that I have things to contribute to other people’s lives. Even if I don’t do anything special for them, the people around me who love me need me to be there for them. They would hate to see me gone.

Like many of us who struggle, I have a Safety Plan that reminds me how to stay safe when I’m going through a crisis. My counselor helped me list how to know I’m heading for a crisis, the skills to use to get me through and who to reach out to for help.

But an essential item was missing from that list. At times of crisis one of the most important things for me to remember is why God has given me life. For me of course it’s so I can give others a reason to live.

We’re all unique and each of us probably has different ways of expressing why we live. What is yours? Have you included it in your Safety Plan?