Ge 2:18 ¶ And the LORD God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
In going to Sunday morning service today, the pastor talked about breaking the out of the prison of loneliness. I could really relate to this message, and there were a few thoughts that really stood out to me.
He talked about loneliness, and gave what I thought was a great definition. He states that loneliness is the absence of or the intense longing for the companionship of people who really care for us and who long to be with us as much as we long to be with them.
Using his definition one can experience this in the multitude. Loneliness is so undesirable, so contrary to the design of God, and so powerful a state that needs to be filled. That even after God had created Adam, had given him a purpose, and placed him in an idealic environment where every material need could be satisfied he still lacked one thing to make his life complete—companionship.
It shows me that no matter what we gain in the world. No matter how wealthy we become. Our innate need for companionship is basic to who we are. I learned from today’s lesson that solitary confinement which we have all heard of; is used as a punishment. Now there is nothing new here, but think about that for a bit, and let that sink in. Loneliness even within the prison system is used as a punishment. Being alone, in isolation, lacking the comfort from a person who cares for you as much as you care for them, and who wants to be with you— is to be in a prison. Think about that.
I now have a better understanding of such scriptures that say blessed are the peacemakers. Peacemakers help reconcile people. They fight against the trend that increases loneliness. Broken families increases loneliness, our living arrangements (suburban living I’m speaking of here.) can increase isolation and loneliness. We plug our ears, and check into our iphones so we are not bothered, increasing our isolation. Speaking of trends, one of the internets powerful abilities is its ability to help create community. Often people do not understand how someone can spend hours online talking with people. It is because so many of us are lonely. Lonely in marriages, at work, in our various communities, and comes a technology that allows people to ‘connect’ with someone of like passions and who looks forward to seeing them when they come online. It is easy once we understand how deep loneliness can be how many of can of us can fall victim to such entrapments, or on a positive note find companionship.
The pastor talked about how to circumvent this with natural remedies, build relationships with new people, family and friends. I do not want to “repreach” his message. Of course, the ultimate cure of the deep longing of our hearts is reconciliation with God, to connect with him and thereby empowering us to truly connect with others.
The forbidden fruit is nothing more than knowledge that we were not meant to experience. Some fruit is vey tart and bitter. Let not loneliness be something that prevents you from reconnecting with God, family, and friends. Ask yourself who can you be a friend too to decrease the level of loneliness in their lives. Which family members, which friend, can you reach out to? If you realize you are alone. Reach out to God, and ask him to reconnect with him, and then begin to make reconnections and new connections. Above all, I encourage you to not let the darkness be your best friend.
D