Kate is a new mom who’s home all day with a newborn.
She loves her baby girl, but she misses the companionship and conversation of
her colleagues at the office.
And Paige, a marketing manager, just moved eight hundred miles across the
country to start a new job in a city where she knows no one. She feels a bit lost and disconnected from her
friends back home.
No matter what the reason, it hurts to feel isolated,
disconnected, or unnoticed.
Sometimes we need the peace and quiet time alone
brings; other times we need connection with others. But there’s a difference
between loneliness and solitude.
Solitude can be
replenishing after a hard week at work or in our prayer time with God. With
the One who loves us most we can pour out our problems, ask for help, and thank
him for all he has done for us. We can also learn to listen. In the stillness,
in the quiet, we can hear what God is trying to communicate to us. Away from
noise and distractions, we can
absorb truth in new ways.
Loneliness is
different. One definition says that “loneliness is a painful awareness that we lack close and
meaningful contact with others. It involves a feeling of inner emptiness,
isolation, and intense
longing.” You may also feel sad, anxious,
or inferior because you are unable to connect with people—or connect with a certain
person.
We all need to connect with other people. We were
created to need each other and to serve each other’s needs. Indeed, our longing
for love, friendship, and close friends is real. Such things are vital to our
emotional well-being.
Just as a bridge links one place to another, friendships connects one isolated
person to another, and soon community is built. You can build connections
in all areas of life. For example,
build:
• spiritual community with people
at church or a small group, prayer group, missions team, or one-on-one with someone like-minded
• social community through a
bowling league, moms group, singles group, or coffee with friends
• intellectual community with
people from work, a book group,
or other group with shared interests
• physical community through a sports team, dance class, or workout partner for the gym
• neighborhood or city community through
a local playground, neighborhood block party, or mentoring a
disadvantaged youth
• virtual community, but make sure
social media connections are not
your only connections
with other people.
With God, we
have the most primary and meaningful connection
possible. And that comes in prayer as we talk and listen. Ask God to
make his presence real to you today. Ask him to help you to have hope that things can change in your life.
You can also ask God to give you courage to reach out to
another person or to bring caring relationships—with friends, family, or other new people—into your life. Finally,
ask what you can do today to build a bridge to another person.
Jesus said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end
of the age” (Matt. 28:20). When you know God, you are never alone.
Excerpted from Powerful Prayers for Challenging Times (Revell/Baker
Books) by Jackie M. Johnson.
