Loneliness : A path out

Loneliness, a state of mind.

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

Loneliness is defined as sadness because one has no friends or company. It is an emotional feeling (and feeling it is) from the inner self or soul realm.

It is often said that it is possible to have a lot of people around us and yet still feel lonely. That is because loneliness is not necessarily a lack of people surrounding us, but a lack of people to whom we feel connected to in some sense.

For this reason, it is possible to be in a marriage and feel lonely, if we are not connected to our spouse in that inner space. It is also possible therefore to be in a family and still feel lonely and alone, for the same reason.

Sad as it may, children and young adults do sometimes fall into this, and unless, the matter is nipped in the bud very quickly, the feeling can develop into other mental, emotional and even spiritual matters.

Our Belong DNA

There is no doubt that we all long to belong or feel like we belong-to know that we are part of something, or someone or people. To have people around us who we can laugh with, share our thoughts and feelings with, have fun with, go out with and generally just be with-our very own companions, with whom life feels just that little bit more beautiful and worthwhile.

Sometimes however, for various reasons, it might feel like we do not have that kind of connection with anyone and so we might begin to feel somewhat empty within. Life can look a little meaningless, unexciting or uninteresting because loneliness many times, will breed sadness.

Where there is the emptiness of loneliness, we can try to feel it up with various activities or things, to fill up the void. But just how much things do we fill our lives with enough to take away the void in our hearts and just what would be the effect of doing so? Sometimes of course, people who feel lonely can be withdrawn, thinking that no one cares.

Loneliness and The Comforter

Biblically, Jesus offered himself to us as not only our God or redeemer but also our friend. When he would speak about the person or being that God, the Father would send upon his own glorification, the person of the Holy Spirit, he called him a Comforter. Hardly, can anyone comfort unless they are truly connected to the person, they are comforting in that heart space.

There is no doubt that Jesus knew what it was like to be an outcast. To be reviled. To be rejected. To be questioned. To be forsaken by one’s own parents and friends who had sworn allegiance no matter what.

The bible says that we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness-our humanity. Not just did his disciples leave him at his hour of need, one of the closest ones denied knowing him. He tasted it all for us and then offered us someone as a solution-God in the trinity.

 

The Never Alone Ministry

In the ministry of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit we find ourselves and a company of those who will never leave us or forsake us-no matter what. The bible says what shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?

For me, the day I gave my life to Jesus will always be one of the or indeed the happiest day of my life. I felt such delirious happiness and joy and lightness of heart, I felt like I could fly.

Relationships

For a long time thereafter, I would sit down outside my parents’ house just holding conversations with God in the cool of the evening.

Real conversations.

I would talk to God about my wild expectations and hopes and dreams and laugh out loud. I would make jokes and wonder if God found it funny.

In more recent times, several years after giving my life to Christ, I still have many such instances, of smiling, laughing, giggling, crying, talking, discussing, demanding, and other such wonderful show of emotions that we can only share with those closest to us, with God.

I do not have many friends now. I did. As I grew up however, I have found in God, a wonderful friendship and love that truly satisfies my heart. He has also brought my way people who have become to me in my heart family members. As the bible says, he plants the lonely in a family.

”This is not to say that as humans we do not have need of our natural and biological parents, relatives, or friends’ friendship.”

No. It is also not to say that situations will not come that would want to cause us to feel lonely or alone. It is just to say that that is precisely the reason why Jesus and his Father would want to come to us and reside inside us so that we always know beyond anything else that we are not alone and that that feeling of loneliness does not grip our heart and weaken us.

Status quo

I do not know where you are in your journey.

Neither do I know whether you have been hurt or what might be causing you to feel lonely. Do you feel like there really is no one that gets you or really looks like you (in the way you see yourself inwardly, your true person)?

I do not know what you might have tried or are still trying to make up for the absence of that joyous (no holds barred, no strings attached) feeling of being loved and belonged. But… 

I guarantee you though, that if you would try Jesus, if you would open your heart to him honestly, and fully pour your heart out to him (what in the legal sense might be called having a full and frank disclosure).

And then ask him to fill your heart, I tell you, it would be as he said, he and his Father will come in and make their abode with you and their presence will swallow up every feeling of loneliness, just as Christ swallowed up death in victory.

Tell the loneliness chains to fall off

As I sign off, I leave you with this wonderful scripture in Ephesians 3 from The Passion Translation (my pastor loves this translation now and it is rubbing off! You can also read the King James Version. It is just as beautiful and reassuring)

                  ¹⁴ So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, ¹⁵ the perfect Father of every father and child^[e] in heaven and on the earth. ¹⁶ And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favour until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power.

                  ¹⁷ Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.

                  ^18–19 Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding — this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!

Becoming New

It is a bit long and so you have to receive it with your heart rather than your head.

This really then is our prayer for you-that you will truly come to know the love of God which is in Christ Jesus and that he will plant you in a family just as the bible promised. With all the love of God inside of me to you!

The Call

If you are ready to take this chance then please say:

Lord I accept that I have sinned and come short of your glory. I accept that Jesus Christ came to save me and that he died for my sins on the Cross of Calvary.

I accept you as my Saviour and Lord and now release myself to you. I ask that you come into me and live with me. I ask that your Spirit will hence forth lead me. For these I pray in Jesus Name. Amen.

Should you wish to discover Christ for yourself but are not ready to visit or join a church, please write to us with any questions that you may have and to claim your free copy of the bible.

Jesus loves you and so do we.