Living with Loneliness – Key# 1
Each one of us has experienced, at some point in time, the cold chill and eery desolation of loneliness. We have walked that long, hard, and painful road for a number of reasons:
Sudden loss of companionship – death of a loved one, divorce, military, college
Rejection – your work, your love, your advice, your skill, etc
broken engagement
Not having family
Fear of being left out and alone
No direction or vision for life
Certain times of the season
Lack of companionship
Being a devoted Jesus follower
Standing up for truth and right
If not dealt with properly, loneliness can lead to other problems, such as depression, feelings of uselessness, a lack of self worth, hopelessness, and even thoughts of suicide. It is possible to ease our loneliness or get rid of it altogether and unlock the treasure chest of contentment by turning several keys found in 2 Timothy 4:9-18
Key# 1 Change your thought pattern (2 Timothy 4:14, 16).
Dealing with loneliness begins with changing the way we think. Changing our thought pattern includes admitting and accepting our circumstance of loneliness (it is what it is). When Paul wrote this letter, he was alone in a Roman jail. He did not deny it and he did not cultivate thoughts of self-pity, bitterness, blame and revenge, but he removed those thoughts and replaced them with the sovereignty of God. Now “sovereignty of God” is a seventy-five dollar phrase which means: God has unlimited power and he has control over the affairs of nature, history, and yes, our personal lives – especially our personal lives. Our feelings of perceived or actual loneliness from rejection, the move of a friend, death of a loved one, or the lack of companionship, does not catch God by surprise. He sees where we are, will repay those who have wounded us deeply, and cares about what happens to us. Let’s remind ourselves: “God has us where we are for His good purpose, although we don’t fully understand that purpose.” Does this mean that God sadistically gets pleasure out of seeing us writhing in the pain of our loneliness. Absolutely not! It means that God wants to be made bigger in and through lives and to make us look more like his Son. Sometimes the only way he can accomplish that is to allow us to go through suffering and pain. We all wish there was a different and less painful way, don’t we? Have you ever thought that God has you where you are so that his great power can be seen in your weakness? Let this thought wash over your heart the next time you are feeling the deep pain of loneliness: God never wastes a hurt and in your pain, his grace is enough!
Opening the treasure chest of contentment begins with turning the first key of changing the way we think about God and our loneliness. Send me comments or your own personal stories about this first key.
Next Post: Key# 2 – Recruit a Spiritual Strength Team
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Tags: Loneliness, Sovereignty of God