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Do you feel alone? Are you facing the challenges of life without any backup? Do you have someone to
share your thoughts and feelings with? Who do you talk to when you experience joyful moments and personal wins? Who feeds into and ministers to you? Who takes care of you?
We all have felt lonely. We think our friends and our families have their own lives and don't want to be burdened by us. Or, we don't have the mental or physical energy to engage with them... but then we start wondering if they even want to be part of our lives. We get sucked into the dark hole of thinking that there is no one who is there for you. There is no one who can understand what you are going through. There is no one there to support you, encourage you, stand beside you.
Feeling that complete and utter loneliness and isolation is a lie straight from the devil. And it is a lie that destroys. Just like how a predator goes after the slow, sick, left behind animal so the devil goes after you (1 Peter 5:8). Once you feel alone and away from the "herd" it makes you great prey. You feel alone and thoughts creep in like "why don't people want to be with me", "what is so wrong with me?", "I don't need them". "I don't need anyone", and/or "I'm an independent self-made person, I'm all I need". Depression, anger, fear, anxiety, addictions become easy companions when you feel (by default or intent) abandoned and alone from other people.
You know what you do to combat loneliness? You reach out. You go to church, the gym, a book club, a training. You meet and connect with other people that you can safely share your story with. That may mean you talk to a chaplain, therapist, or a peer-to-peer service. There are hotlines you can call as a first step to connecting with other people so that the whispers from the devil that come at you from your loneliness can be silenced by the voice of truth. We are not meant to live alone (Gen 2:18) and when we don't align with God's design we open ourselves up to a world of hurt and pain... and loneliness.
You may have seen and experienced horrors so dark that you don't want to give voice to the nightmares you experience. You may have been attacked, abused, belittled and put down so much that you feel that no one else can understand what you have been through. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says "there is nothing new under the sun". Unfortunately, there has always been evil, pain, abuse, trauma. You may not find someone who has the exact same experience you have, but you will find someone who can identify with you in many ways. As always, I'm here for you. I don't have the answers, cure or a quick fix... but I can walk with you as you make your journey from loneliness and isolation to a life of connection and healthy relationships. Even more importantly, God is always there for you. Deuteronomy 31:8 "He will never leave you or forsake you". In our darkest moment He is with you. You can feel His presence if you just talk to Him and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. He truly does offer a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7)... I've experienced it. You want to hear my story? Ask.
--Angela F.
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