Somebody else's playground.

Yesterday, I watched a disturbing episode of 48 Hours.

Okay, frankly, every episode is pretty disturbing, but it’s been a great exercise in learning more about our country’s legal system.

It also reveals how God turns tragedy into hope for those who love Him.

But yesterday’s episode was a pretty hard gut punch.

It was about a young teen who had suffered from depression but was getting better.

He was on medication, going to therapy, and had even managed to get his tugboat license (he lived in Massachusetts for all my slightly perplexed Southern friends).

But despite all this, he killed himself because a girl he was friends with (who wanted to be more than friends) kept egging him on, persuading him to do the deadly deed.

And he did.

Why am I mentioning this?

It’s because I wholeheartedly believe in how easy it is for our minds to become somebody else’s playground.

It’s why Paul instructs us to renew our minds, a daily exercise that is grounded in remembering God’s Word to defeat the lies of the enemy (who can even use our “friends” to lead us astray).

Further, Paul points out that a godly mental state is even more beneficial than physical training.

Our brains are our greatest muscle, so why abandon them?

This young teen was doing the right things. Medication is often a godsend, and it is always beneficial to share our darkest thoughts with professionals or even those in our lives who are truly wise, discerning, and can give us gentle counsel.

But as followers, we know there’s an additional element to keeping our thoughts free from manipulation.

As someone who has considered suicide often in the past, I can relate. My mind was weak. I wasn’t exercising it, putting on the full armor of God, and was left to suffer the consequences.

What happened to this young man was a tragedy, and my prayer is that he’s forever comforted by our great Shepherd.

My other prayer? That we continue to defeat the enemy, knowing that we are strong in Christ and that the darkness has no right to overcome us.