Have you ever felt lonely in a crowd? Or when you were with someone else? Or in a marriage? Or with your family during the holidays? Or in college? Or being a single mother? Or being in a church? Or being divorced? The list is endless. We can be surrounded by people yet feel totally alone. It is a deep, heartfelt longing of the soul for something or someone that we have lost, or that we have yet to meet or find.
I imagine that Jesus was lonely many days. Just think how it must have felt to be the ONLY perfect person in the entire world. And to know that you are on this earth for one mission only, and that is to save as many people as you can from eternal death. To be the only person in the world to die on a cross and know ahead of time just how much it will hurt, mentally, emotionally, physically and most importantly of all, spiritually.
At one point, Jesus even cried out while he was on the cross, " My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" So at that moment, Jesus had to be the loneliest person in the entire world.
There is the famous poem "Footprints In the Sand"
One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along
the beach with the Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed
two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to him and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the
very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life there is
only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when I needed you most
you would leave me."
The Lord replied "My precious, precious child,
I love you and would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints in the sand,
it was then that I carried you."
Even though you may not have one friend in the world, you still have God. He is in the room with you as you read this, He is closer to you than your heartbeat, and He loves you and has your best interests at heart ...... always .........
So now that you know that Jesus was lonely, and survived, so can you. All of the disciples, his dearest friends, denied ever having known him when he needed them the most. In the Garden of Gethsemene He asked them to stay awake with Him while He prayed, and yet they all fell asleep. People, even our dearest and closest family and friends, can let us down. This is when we feel the most lonely, when those who are supposed to love us, and be there for us ..... desert us.
But then, look at the vast universe that we live in. It is so large we cannot even comprehend it with our finite minds. The universe is infinite and never ends. And yet, we are all on this one planet called Earth. And earth is "alone" in a vast empty dark space that goes on for infinity.
When you realize how very small we are compared to the rest of the universe, then every man, woman and child becomes our friend, even if all we do is pass them on the street and never say a word. So we ARE part of the human race. We are living on a planet with other people, animals, birds and fish and plants. Each alone yet all together. We are all breathing the same air.
You may feel alone because there is no one in your life that you love or loves you back. But wait, there is...... God of course loves you unconditionally, and He knows that you are lonely and He will bring someone into your life, at the right time, in the right place, when you least expect it.
Look around you. There are angels you know, who take the form of human beings just to come to you and comfort you. In fact the Bible tells us to "be kind to strangers" for " you may be entertaining an angel unaware."
Reach out to others, reach out to God, KNOW that you are part of this planet earth ....... and then you will not feel so lonely anymore....... and know that some of the greatest men in the Bible spent years alone, with God. It was where they learned their greatest lessons, and accomplished their greatest work. So be still, and listen to what God wants to tell you in the silence. It is something for your highest good and you can trust that God has only your highest good in mind.
If you are struggling with loneliness, please do not hesitate to contact me for help by choosing the Long Question Option, the Short Question Option, or you may schedule a Telephone Counseling Session with me. Please see below for instructions on how to contact me.
