Jesus told his apostles,
“An hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” – John 16:32
Even Jesus addressed being alone. In this verse we see that not being around people does not necessarily make you lonely, at least not as long as we feel the presence of God. But often you and I, left alone do experience loneliness. In fact, recent studies have found a range of 20–50% of people who express feelings of loneliness at times.
Why? Among the reasons listed in the research were:
1. Digital Communication
2. Changing Social Structures
3. COVID-19
True, but misleading. People have felt lonely for as long as mankind has existed. Even Cain worried about this when, after he killed his brother, he told God, “I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” (Genesis 4:14). In short, Cain felt he would be alone.
What can we do about loneliness?
First, we need to learn the difference between alone time and being lonely. You can be lonely in a crowd. Or, you can be by yourself and not feel lonely. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, communed with only God, and yet certainly did not feel lonely. He came from this experience and built a community of thousands of followers.
Here are some great steps to fighting loneliness:
1. Realize you don’t have to be lonely. If up to 50% of people fret about feeling lonely, then surely you recognize they long for community and someone like you.
2. Put yourself out there. Reach out to other people. There is a book on personal evangelism called, “Just Walk Across the Room.” In other words, make the effort to talk to and connect to others. Put yourself in charge of this effort.
3. Be interested in other people and let them know it.
Obviously, there are other things one can do, but these are great starter steps.
Let’s close with the words of a poet:
Sometimes I get lonely, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
Always connecting but not connected
Sometimes I get lonely, Looking to the future
Forgetting to be in the present
Sometimes I get lonely, Thinking someday, one day
Never thinking right here, right now
Sometimes I get lonely, Phone’s on, WiFi’s up
Waiting for it to buzz
Sometimes I get lonely
Just waiting…Always waiting…
…Anon
So, stop waiting. Remember Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV)
“A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” Or herself be friendly.
Lonnie Davis