Practicing Loneliness with Jesus

Ephesus

I recently read about new breakthroughs in video gaming, including a handheld device that produced 3-D images. At a restaurant, I was surprised to find a toddler poking curiously at an iPad while, at the mall, several adults peer just as curiously into 3D TVs. Most would think that technological advances help bring people closer together, but it is often quite the opposite. Because of these technological advances, many people rather spend most of their time surfing Facebook than actually meeting people face-to-face. People use technology in an attempt to fill the void of loneliness that exists in each of us.

We are often quick to say we are never lonely, pointing to our friends and our activities. However, in my experience serving in a youth fellowship, few people have genuine relationships with authenticity and accountability. Everyone has experienced a time when we felt totally alone even though we’re surrounded by people. That’s because there really is not one person to whom you can totally relate and who can understand all your thoughts and feelings. No wonder many young people choose to pick the easy road and escape into the virtual world. However, the virtual world accessed through increasingly advanced technology does not provide solace for loneliness. It only helps the user create an alternate self to escape from reality.

Being a Christian does not mean that we are exempt from feeling lonely, but we have comfort knowing we’re never alone. God has built in each of us a need for community and, even more importantly, a need for Him. Through community, we experience empathy and understanding. However, it is only with God that we can cast our entire selves into His arms for comfort and restoration. Jesus is not only our Saviour but also our Friend on whom we can lean in times of trouble. Only He knows when you feel crushed. Only He knows when our lives are collapsing.

The fact that Christ humbled Himself to become a human gives us hope because we have Someone who understands us inside and out. We meet difficulties and trials in life that are uniquely challenging to each of us because it is God’s will for us to become His sanctified vessels, to be used by Him. Oftentimes, this leaves us lonely and destitute similar to the experiences of Elijah, Job, and Jeremiah. However, as we experience the grace of Christ’s gift of salvation, we also experience the presence of the Holy Spirit as we walk through the deserts of life. For myself, this truth has become more and more relevant as my responsibilities increase daily. God never leaves us on our own to face life. We always have Jesus. What a joy it is to have Him who knows our needs!