Do you ever feel alone?
It’s not hard to feel alone. If you do feel that way, you are among the almost half of Americans who feel that way as well.
In fact, many Christians feel that way as well. Interesting enough, people are more connected to each other than ever, yet still lament over the sense of being alone.
Consider the at least three ways you can sense loneliness today…
- Where is God?
- No one sees me.
- There’s no one else.
It is this third statement that I want to help you wrestle with today.
There’s No One Else
As you go about your day today, hopefully in church but possibly for various reasons not in church, let me encourage you to open your eyes to the people around you. People who many are like you. Individuals who need someone else to open their eyes and see them, smile at them, talk with them, and engage in some meaningful way.
They, like you, were made for community. God never intended someone to feel alone. Although not a sin to feel that way, we instead need to take the thought captive and open our eyes to those all around us. We need to live in light of the truth that God places us in community when we get saved (1 Cor 12:13). Immediately, we are placed into the body of Christ. Your local church is an expression of that body in your particular location.
Consider the spiritual realities around you today. Jesus died and in His death created the body of Christ. The only way into the body of Christ comes through Jesus (John 14:6). When you accept Jesus as your Savior when you ask for forgiveness of your sin, He not only forgives you but through the Holy Spirit places you in the body of Christ. This exclusive group includes all those who have accepted Jesus as well.
As you look around today on this Sunday, think about the special connection you have with each of these individuals who also enjoy a relationship with Jesus. As members of the body of Christ, the Bible refers to them as brothers, sisters, family members, joint heirs, and the forgiven. With that in mind, now make it personal.
You – that other person – them … all connected through the blood of Christ.
You – that other person – them … all sharing the same Father as brothers and sisters.
Do you see them?
The Next Vital Step
Are you ready for the next step? Now you need to move from just merely seeing those people around you to actually reaching out to them. Begin with a simple “hello” or some other kind of greeting. Just do something.
It is easy to feel alone, yet do very little to change that for you and for that other person.
Think about this with me. If almost half of people feel alone, then there is a great chance that the person to whom you choose to interact may feel lonely today as well. With interaction, now two people can fight that sense of loneliness together. In a simple interaction, you have helped two people.
“But I have reached out before and no one has seen me, heard me, or pain attention. I tried and that other person did not try back in return.” Yes, I know. I’ve been in those situations before as well. Not to push you too hard, but go ahead and try again. How should you try? Be intentional. Specifically engage people knowing that it honors the Lord and may be a blessing to that other person. When you do, you will find that those other people may end up blessed, but for sure you will.
When I Knew No One
I remember going to a large church and I knew no one. The only person I vaguely knew was the pastor. I enjoyed him and wanted to check out the church. I initially did not enjoy the church feel but did like the pastor. He was a great speaker, had a great heart, and had a great family. I kept attending.
I decided one day that I was just going to begin to greet as many people as I could on a given Sunday. I had not idea who these people were; however, I would intentionally interact with those around me. As I would see them, I began to ask their names, began to remember some of them, and would go greet the same ones each week.
On my part, it meant a bit of awkwardness. Plus, I had to arrive early enough to take time to greet them.
Guess what? When I began to see the people around me, remember they were part of the body of Christ and family of God, and intentionally engage them, I quit feeling lonely. In fact, many of those people began to look for my greeting – I only found this out over time. They longed for the personal interaction, the smile, and the intentionality of someone coming over to greet them.
I remember recently Jack Drury telling me something similar. He and his wife Marilyn were founding members of our church. Everyone knew them. Yet, as he faced an imminent journey to heaven and recalled with some some special people, he fondly remembered several people specifically. He would say, “You know that person never fails to come say hi to me.” Or, “That person always shows she cares.” Plus, he said much more.
His story and my story share several similarities. For both of us, we felt less lonely when we had engagement with other people.
On This Sunday…
On this Sunday… take a moment regardless of how you feel to be intentional around others. Open the eyes of your heart to see those around you that share the same Savior, Father, and relationship with you. Your brother. Your sister. Eventually your friend. But don’t wait on them to take the first step, or second, or third. Because you love Jesus and His family, push further to help alleviate someone else’s loneliness and possibly yours as well.
If you are not with your church family today, then take a moment to place a call, send a text, reach out on social media, or do something to connect with someone. You need it as well.
May God be glorified in our efforts.
If you do not have a church home, feel free to worship with us either in-person or online at 10:00 AM CST. You can get directions online at www.sonrisebaptist.com or can join our service online.
Image Credit Evelina Zhu
KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together