Friday, March 2, 2012

When You Feel Alone

Often times, walking with God means that you walk with God.  It does not mean that you have a big groups of cheerleaders and fans that are constantly encouraging you to keep going.  Sometimes it does, but many times, you feel alone. 
The feeling of isolation is a tool of the adversary.  He disconnects family, friends, school, church, sports, etc. to create the mirage of being alone.  Humans are social beings. We have a need to feel supported, liked, loved, and accepted.  When you ask people about their most difficult struggles, they usually tell you that they felt alone and afraid.  This feeling has been ever growing.  But why do people feel this way, and how can we prevent the feeling of being alone?

The Why:
Part of the problem is that we allow ourselves to be so absorbed with technology, school, work, what have you, that we are unable to communicate with those around us.  Rather than striking a conversation with the others in the room, people text their friends who are miles away.  A relationship with a people requires time and effort...not texts, tweets, and face book updates... 
Think about it. How much is communicated through body language, and tone? Everything.  When you read words, you interpret them for what they are...words...Reading a text does not impart sincerity, eye contact, body language, sarcasm, or any emotion besides what is written.  How many times have you or someone you knew been hurt by something they were texted? How many times has there been a miscommunication because someone is too afraid to dial the number they are texting, and speak with the person on the very device that they are using to text with? Yes, texting has its perks: quick response, multiple conversations, you can pull up past conversations, the list goes on.  However, even communicating on the phone allows for tone to be established.  What is meant as a joke can be taken as a joke, and not a remark that someone thinks is a joke, but always wonders if the other person truly meant what they wrote.

When you are at school or work all day with people who do not hold your values as their own, you often feel alone.  You are mocked, ridiculed, excluded, bullied, all because you don't believe in the same things they do.  It is difficult to be different on purpose when everyone else is doing something else or not respecting who you are.  There is often the mentality that "Everyone can be accepted except the people that aren't".


The Fix:
The key to not feeling alone is to find faith. When you have faith in the Lord, He will be your strength.  He will lead you to service.  It is through that service that you will grow to love others.  He  will guide you to others in need of your friendship.  The important thing is to keep busy with the Lord's work.  By doing so, He will send the Comforter. We can receive the strength we need to reach out to others.  Faith in Him will allow people to come into our lives that will help us to be strong.
Until those people are around us, faith must be our solace.  It is often difficult to live off of faith alone.  When you cannot bare the isolation, say a prayer, distract yourself, find something to do.  That is one of the blessings of technology.  We have the ability to use the Internet, and we have cell phones. 

Try to keep your Faith in the Lord.  Even through the darkest moments, we are never alone.  He is always with us, watching, prompting, and loving us.  It is by His mercy that we live each day.  His will must be our purpose, and even if the results are not in our time, they are in His; we will be blessed for our faith.

Also turn to those you can trust.  If you have a good family, try to build your relationships with them.  If you have good friends, kindle that friendship.  Do not give up hope, but if you are in a situation that is harmful to you or others you know, make a change. Surround yourself with people who will support you, as you support them. 

Remember:
Many people feel alone because of circumstance.  They are raised in a world that is pulls them down, and they don't know how to get above the filth.  These people need help to find their strength.  DO NOT serve people for selfish gain.  Truly love them as the Savior would.  Sometimes it is difficult to love someone you don't like.  We weren't told to "like" everyone.  We were told to LOVE them.  This task is not easy, but it will bring happiness to everyone involved.  Everyone deserves to be loved.  It does not matter who they are or what they have done.  He suffered for every soul.  It is through His Grace that we have His Light.

He has entrusted us with His light and has told us what to do with it.  May we all walk a little taller knowing that we have been trusted with this precious gift.  Each person has a purpose.  Through relying on Him, that purpose will be made known, and all feelings of fear and isolation will dissipate.  His Light will sustain you if you let it.

We must each the keeper of a lighthouse.  As a light house stands alone on the shore, often times so do the believers.  People may come to admire it, but they never stay for long.  The light house has a purpose. When it is in top condition, it is able to be a beacon in the dark, and a remarkable beauty in the light.  When it is in disrepair, it is a shell of what was or what could have been.  A light house keeper does all they can to ensure that the light house is in prime condition.  The task may seem difficult, but the rewards are insurmountable. 

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house."
~ Matthew 5: 14-15 KJV

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