God is the giver of life. He gives, and He takes away (Job 1:21). Suicide, the taking of one’s own life, is ungodly because it rejects God’s gift of life. No man or woman should presume to take God’s authority upon themselves to end his or her own life
Below is a report from Mail Online about a young man who was searching for a stranger that stopped him from taking his own life. Imagine if he succeeded in this ungodly act, what would have been his fate?
God is the only one who is to decide when and how a person should die
A man whose life was saved by a stranger six years ago after he tried to jump off a bridge has been
reunited with the person who saved his life following a global Twitter campaign.
Two weeks ago, Jonny Benjamin, now 26, appeared on ITV’s Daybreak appealing for the man who encouraged him not to jump off Waterloo Bridge, in London, to come forward.
He had launched the #FindMike appeal - desperate to say thanks to the kind stranger who talked him down from the bridge.
Today, Mr Benjamin was back on the television programme, but this time to reveal that following the
search which went worldwide he has been reunited with the Good Samaritan - Neil Laybourn.
The #FindMike campaign was backed by Rethink Mental Illness, and Mr Benjamin used Facebook and Twitter to find the mystery man and saved his life.
After a number of TV, radio and newspaper interviews, his appeal soon went viral, with the hashtag #Findmike trending in the UK and countries as far afield as Canada, South Africa and Australia.
Celebrities including Stephen Fry, Kate Nash and Boy George tweeted their support.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg backed the campaign.
Speaking to Aled Jones and Lorraine Kelly, Mr Benjamin said he couldn’t believe he has been reunited with the man who persuaded him not to kill himself six years ago.
He said: 'It was really overwhelming to be reunited with him again. It still feels like a dream.
'He was determined not to let me jump and that was what pulled me back over the edge.'
Personal trainer Mr Laybourn, 31, from Surrey, said when he saw the tweet he knew straight away Mr Benjamin was looking for him. The pair were reunited on Tuesday.
Mr Benjamin had climbed on to a ledge on the bridge after spending a month in hospital.
He had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.
As Mr Benjamin contemplated jumping into the River Thames, Mr Laybourn spoke to him and offered to buy him a coffee.
He said: 'It all happened very quickly but I think as soon as I saw what was happening, I registered
what was going on straight away.
'There was a little while before I was able to come over to Jonny and I was just thinking all the time
to try and get to him.'
Mr Laybourn admitted he had never forgotten about Mr Benjamin and modestly spoke about being pleased that he could help a man in need.
He said: 'Initially in the first few months [I thought about Jonny] and then a bit more sporadically over time but I always, every year, thought "What happened? Where is he? Was he okay? Did he ever go
back?"
'It’s really nice to have a conclusion. It’s incredible to think that I was able to do that and to help him.
'I’m just thankful that I was able to say the right things. It’s a bit of luck and fate' before he joked to Mr Benjamin 'You owe me a favour!'
The #findmike Twitter campaign trended in countries including Canada, South Africa and Australia, but it was Mr Laybourn's fiancée who saw the campaign tweet.
Mr Benjamin, a video blogger who has presented a BBC Three documentary on mental illness, is also making a documentary film about his search which he hopes will be broadcast in the spring.
According to Rethink Mental Illness schizoaffective disorder affects about 1 in 200 people.
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