Have You Ever Been Lonely? Christian Living

     "Have you ever been lonely, have you ever been blue?"  Patsy Cline

     I have experienced loneliness at times in my life. Fortunately  I have the personality of a puppy. I want everyone to play with me so loneliness never lasts long. Sometimes you can be lonely in a crowd and sometimes you can be lonely in a marriage.

     Life today is full of people but physical proximity does not necessarily cure social isolation. Do you know any shopaholics? Could they be trying to buy happiness by filling gaps in their lives?
Albert Einstein said  " It is strange to be known so universally and yet be so lonely." Even fame does not guarantee happy relationships with others.

     Solitude is not the same as loneliness. Solitude is generally a choice, a choice to forego the company of others. It can be a time to be creative, to refresh, to meditate and pray.

     Loneliness is usually not voluntary. It can be triggered by a loss such as death or divorce, moving to a new location, it is the loss of those we are intimate with.

     So where is God when I am lonely? Right beside you. He has been waiting to hear from you.
Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician and physicist from the 1600's said, " In every human heart there exists a God shaped vacuum."

     So if I am lonely what should I do? Number one: Take personal responsibility. Take the initiative to clean up or clean out your life so that the Holy Spirit can work unhindered.  He does not like to reside in a dirty place. Make a sincere confession of your sins and renounce them.

     Once you have asked for forgiveness it is time to forgive yourself. No need to keep rehashing all your mistakes that God has forgiven and forgotten. This is your chance to take that old luggage and park it in a locker at the bus station (metaphorically speaking) and walk away from it permanently.

     Forgive others, not for their sake (they probably could not care less) but for your own. It is a stumbling block in your path and you need to remove it. I know sometimes they can be so large and heavy it seems impossible, but keep at it.

    Accept that no Prince (or Princess) is coming to rescue you from loneliness or from anything else. Pull up your big girl or boy Underoos and look life in the face and step resolutely forward. You have two choices. You can rise above your loneliness or you can wallow in a mud of self pity.

     On a more practical note: how can I battle loneliness? Well, you can quit dwelling on it. Pray, the Holy Spirit is a comforter. Ask for guidance. The world is full of lonely people.  Ask to be shown where you need to be. Are you a great cook?  How about volunteering at a soup kitchen. Insomniac? how about volunteering to staff a homeless shelter at night? Have a neighbor whose day care plans fell through? Offer to be the back up plan.  Join a book club, a Bible study, a painting class. go meet your neighbors, with a food offering. Take someone without a car to the store. If you are immobile, you can call people and offer to pray with them. If you have been in their shoes, share some things that helped you.

    Eventually you will connect with people that you will become friends with. Loneliness seems kind of self centered.. Don't sit around dredging up negativity.

     We were all created for a purpose. Most of us never know what that might be, but God knows. I am betting it is no ones purpose to sit at home and feel sorry for themselves.

     You have the cure at your finger tips. close your eyes and ask for it. Ask ad it will be given.