Article June 7, 2004 Issue

'I value your life'

By Ben Clark

One Friday Evening Last Year, I was driving home to St. Louis with a college friend. As we were crossing a bridge over the Mississippi River, from Illinois to Missouri, I noticed a human figure on foot on the right-hand side of the road. Immediately, I started wondering why someone would be crossing the bridge at midnight. There wasn't really much to do on the other side of the bridge—the only establishment was a gas station, was most likely closed.

Before too long, I began to realize there was probably only one reason someone would be on the bridge, and that was to jump off.

All my life, I had been raised by my parents to look to God in times of need for direction and guidance. At that moment I felt the unmistakable, tangible presence of God, which to me was a sign I couldn't ignore.