What do you think of when you hear the word loneliness? When I hear the word loneliness I often think back to the time when I was around the age of three. I was in a foster home, which is place where children often find themselves if their parents can’t take care of them. While in foster care I often found myself waking up in the middle of the night to look at a picture of my biological parents, my sister and I, with some other people. Whenever I looked at the picture, I felt a longing for something more, I don’t know if it was because I wished I could’ve known them or even been with them.
There are several, but similar meanings of the word loneliness. The one meaning that sums all the rest up is, “to long for something or someone more.”
First of all, everyone deals with the feeling of loneliness. Both unbelievers and believers in Christ can experience loneliness. Some unbelievers feel loneliness because they aren’t very excepting of there being a higher power, and others don’t recognize there being a higher power (They set themselves far from God). Because of this, many unbelievers’ lives are filled with insecurity and darkness. On the other hand, even, believers struggle with loneliness. The Bible states that King David who was a man after God’s own heart struggled/ suffered with loneliness. Even Jesus Christ stated that when he was walking on Earth trying to spread the Gospel, he was feeling lonely because people were rejecting Him and the truth. Looking back at what the Bible has to say about David and Jesus Christ we can see that Christians experience loneliness.
There is a solution to loneliness, it is stated throughout the Bible over and over again, yet many people can’t seem to” find it”.
Proverbs 18:24 “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly, there is a friend t hat sticketh closer than a brother.”
This verse states that Jesus is our answer to solving loneliness. First off, we as Christians need to have a “Christ-focused” attitude and not a “Self-focused” attitude. We need to stop thinking about ourselves. It’s not “Oh, it’s all about me.” This verse also talks about showing ourselves friendly to others. You never know whom we may be able to pick up and direct to Christ the friend of all friends! The attitude we should have, needs to be, “How can I help those people around me that have needs?” Some of those needs could be spiritual, emotional, or even physical.
My challenge for us Christians is to not have an attitude that is “Self- focused”, but to have a “Christ-focused” attitude instead, and be willing to help others in need.
Whether you are saved or unsaved today, the answer to your loneliness is Jesus. If you have never accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, Jesus is the only thing that can fill the void in your heart. If you are saved today and struggling with loneliness, draw closer than ever to the friend who sticks closer than even a brother. Talk with Jesus, listen to what He has said in His Word!
- Tony Weir
