Skip to main content

Only the Lonely

                 I feel lonely.  Not all the time, but I feel it now more than I ever have in my life.  I felt it when our girls grew up and left home.  I felt it when close friends moved away.  I feel it when the house is empty, and I am wondering what to do with my day.
                I wonder if you feel it too.
                Actually, I know you are lonely.  I know it because you are constantly on your phone.  Every time it rings or dings, you pick it up.  You cannot wait or even stop yourself.  I know it because some of you spend hours on Facebook.  Whether you admit it or not, you are longing for connection. 
                Some fill the gap by watching so much TV that the people on the shows become their vicarious friends.  Listen and you will hear them refer to reality stars, talk show hosts or news anchors as if they know them personally.  TV allows us to have people in our homes, without really having people in our homes.
                Still others keep themselves busy so that they do not have to feel anything.  If loneliness ever creeps in, they stuff it down because it is too hard or too scary to think about what they have lost or what they may lose in the future. 
                We are experts at avoiding ourselves.
                Interestingly, we assume that the cure for loneliness is getting to know more people.  However, that does not work.  A crowd can be one of the loneliest places of all.
                What is the answer then?  
                The key is not knowing more people.  Rather, it is allowing more people to know you.  
                There is something powerful and life changing about being open and honest.  That is why “Alcoholics Anonymous” is so effective.  It is the one place, and often the first time, people tell others who they really are and admit their struggles.  You cannot do this with everyone, but you need to be able to be open with someone.
                Do not wait for others to come to you.  The first step is yours. 
                Take the risk of developing deep relationships.  It will improve both your friendships and your faith.
                “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22).
_____________
If you would like to watch the sermon from which this article was derived, please see the previous post on this blog.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: A Path Worth Following

  Jehoram was a terrible king.  He reigned in Judah around the year 850 B.C. and he did not care about God or his people.  His first act as king was to assassinate his six brothers so that no one could challenge his authority.  He was brutal and selfish.   Therefore, when the Bible sums up his life, it says, “Jehoram… passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David” (2 Chronicles 21:20).  Did you catch that?  “To no one’s regret!”  What a terrible phrase for your tombstone. On the other hand, consider a lady named Tabitha.  She lived in the city of Joppa in the first century A.D. and we are told, “… she was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).  She became sick and died.  This caused the community so much grief that they called Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda, to come and help them.  When Peter arrived, a crowd gathered, bringing all the robes and other clothing that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

   When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for.  Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task.  In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut.  It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why.  Ben became stuck on the glacier.  He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below.   That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice.  He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety.  Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....
Post a Comment
Read more