Loneliness: How Do You Supervise It?

Today, a lot of people feel lonely. Hear some of what they think and say:

"When I find a man (or woman) to love me, then I'll be happy."

"When I get married and have kids, then I won't feel lonely."

"When I have a high-paying job and a nice house and car, that would give me joy."

Marriage does not guarantee an end to loneliness. These days, a lot of married people are lonely. Having kids or material things in abundance also does not guarantee the absence of loneliness. Scores of the wealthy or famous with children or people around them are dominated by loneliness instead of happiness.

During most of my teen years, I was lonely. Coming from a deep brokenness in our family, I'd spend days feeling lonely and miserable. Looking back, I realize that I had wrongly supervised my loneliness by paying undue attention to it. I gave loneliness too much control.

When I became a Christian, I still experienced the powerful effects of loneliness. The biblical truth is, loneliness is an unavoidable part of human nature and existence. There's no escape! Even the Lord Jesus Himself, the perfect One who came, experienced moments of deep loneliness too.

So, if loneliness is unavoidable in this life, what can you do about it?

The best way to adequately cure loneliness is to invite the Holy Spirit to supervise it. You take a stand by relying on the Holy Spirit for help so you can choose to refuse loneliness to dominate your existence. That happens only when you have a personal, growing relationship with Christ ... only when you have a life totally surrendered to Him.

When such becomes a reality, loneliness takes an insignificant role in your life. It stops to rule you as it once did. And it gets replaced by Christ's love, presence, and grace. When that happens, you can know joy and contentment regardless of your circumstances. Your hand in God's hand -- not a bad place to be!

Let God do the heavy lifting for you in supervising your loneliness.

Deuteronomy 31:6 - "Be strong and courageous, don’t be afraid, nor be scared of them: for Yahweh your God, he it is who does go with you; he will not fail you, nor forsake you.”

Psalms 27:10 - "When my father and my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will take me up."

Psalms 46:1 - "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Isaiah 41:10 - "Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness."

Matthew 28:20: " ..teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Hebrews 13:5 - "Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.”