On Loneliness

Loneliness is painful. We’ve all needed a shoulder to cry on, when there was no one around.

Terrible as loneliness is, it’s another way that God shapes us into Holiness. He can use any struggle and turn it around. There are lessons to be learned in loneliness, when we stop to listen for that small voice—and if we won’t stop to listen, He makes Himself heard anyway.

God uses loneliness to teach us things we couldn’t learn otherwise. We are scared of being alone with our thoughts. In the silence, we reflect a lot on mistakes. We struggle with anxiety, mulling over missed opportunities and people we’ve hurt.

The fact is, we can’t walk away from the past; it reminds us not to repeat those mistakes. It is God whispering in our ear that He understands and wants the best for us. Every now and then, He gives us a little nudge–and most of the time, He does this in our loneliest days.

Loneliness and silence are both necessary to improve our character. In silence we can listen for God’s voice and hear Him speak to the heart. Sometimes we go for days without offering up a prayer. We don’t go to Him, so He comes to us—taking everyone else so He has our full attention.

The world is so full of white noise, distractions. We tend to seek people who offer tangible things we can hold. If we aren’t careful, we’ll forget Jesus is here, too; what He offers cannot be held, but is worth so much more. He will provide us with everything we need—yet even with this knowledge, we pay more attention to the world!

He knows how easily we focus on other things. That’s why He sometimes takes away our distractions—even people. We may feel lonely, but we’re not alone: The Lord has gifts for us that He’s determined to get into our lives.

For that to happen, we’ve got to spend time with Him.

I have been experiencing loneliness as of late. He calls me clear out the white noise, confiding my problems to Him instead of people I usually talk to. The beauty of talking to God is that you don’t have to say anything: He already knows what’s in your heart. There is no struggle for words, because Jesus already knows.

I would be lying if I said this was easy. We’re human and not built to feel alone. When it seems that I have nobody, I remember Christ has gone out of His way to spend time with me. I’ve learned that God takes us from friends and family because He wants our time, too.

Next time you feel like everyone’s abandoned you, think again. Jesus is waiting! He’s a great listener and never tires of spending time with you. He will have something to say that you need to hear.

Clear out the white noise, Jesus is waiting…