The Cure for Loneliness

Acts 4:32
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.

Have you ever felt lonely? Personally, I am not usually prone to loneliness. I typically find something to occupy my time or seek out someone to fill up any lurking isolation. There have been a few times in my life, however, when the loneliness has been so intense that it almost feels like there are 10lb sand bags hanging over each shoulder and as though my chest could cave in from the pressure.

The most recent of these times happened immediately after my husband and I were married in the spring of 2002. We were married in Florida (where we were close to his family and our friends) and moved to North Carolina for Glenn to attend seminary. I was thankful because the move put me closer to my family but we were still without friends and familiarity. I had a difficult time finding a job and spent most of my days alone in the house trying to occupy myself (you can only look for work for so long before you start to go out of your mind). It was in these first few months that the impact of what we had done truly hit me. I was already struggling with the question of what I wanted to do with my life and then we moved away from the place and the people I had called home for 5 years. People asked me how I was doing and I always said that we were doing well and that we were thrilled to be married. While both were true, I failed to mention that I was crying over Wal-Mart commercials and flipping out over dust on the blinds, stains on my tablecloth, and laundry that took three cycles to dry (all psychotic behaviors I am usually able to avoid). When I finally stopped to evaluate what my problem was, I realized that in my heart I was deeply lonely. And to make matters worse, I was taking it out on my husband for not filling the social void in my life (a task that no one person is capable of).

I am happy to say that things have gotten much better since then. First, I got a job and had more than one person to talk to about my day. Second, my husband started school and we began to remember what we were doing here. And lastly, but most importantly, we found a church. We don’t really know many people all that well but, since we started calling this church our “church home,” God has been filling us with interactions with other believers and challenging us to join the community that this church has established among its members. Through all of this, I have realized the importance of surrounding ourselves with believers to strengthen us in our walk and remind us of the reason behind our daily battles: the pursuit of the Kingdom of God. Acts gives us an illustration of a fully functional church. Everyone was sharing each other’s burdens and they were constantly in awe of what God was doing through them.

God has given us the Holy Spirit and other believers so that we do not have to walk the road of life alone. If you feel alone or isolated, I challenge you to find a church or a group of believers to talk to and to share your struggles with. Christ came to this earth and suffered every emotion you and I will ever feel. Because of that, I know that He listens to our cries for comfort and relationship and fills them with exactly what we need.