As
a pastor, loneliness is one of the most frequent complaints I hear
from people, especially the formerly married, whether divorced or
widowed. The complaint comes more often from those who no longer
have children at home requiring their care or affording some
companionship. However, all people experience loneliness from time
to time. God made mankind in His image to have fellowship with
Him. It is natural to see how we, as weak humans, need earthly
fellowship even more. Just as infants need love, touch and nurturing
to properly develop, we also need interaction with others to feel
important and loved.
Relationships do not have to be romantic or
physical in order to be significant. People who want to honor God in
their relationships will find ways to allow their day-to-day
professional relationships and their Christian friendships to
fulfill their needs for companionship. Just being with someone will
not necessarily remove loneliness. I’ve seen people who felt alone
in a crowd and I’ve also seen married people who were lonely in
their marriage. The real key to combating loneliness starts with
your attitude. If you find reasons to feel sorry for yourself and
tag yourself with the label lonely then you will feel that way.
The Bible says this; “But seek first his kingdom
and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well,” Matthew 6:33. So, if you want one of the given to you
things to be a feeling of love and significance then do something
about it; take action!
Common Sense Application
1. Work on building a closer relationship with
God. (Remember the seek first part?)
2. Join a local Christian Group and seek out the
serious Christians in the group as your friends. Spend time with
them.
3. Within a Christian group, seek out a ministry
team which keys on meeting specific needs in peoples’ lives, then
get involved.
4. Join a local Big Brother Big Sister
organization.
5. Volunteer to drive a Meals On Wheels route.
6. Take food, or volunteer to sit with a sick
friend or a shut-in.
7. Join an organization that majors on helping
others.
8. Remember, you may be the only Godly example
that someone else will ever see. teaching each other; take the good stuff back to
work with you.