Alone

[deacon blues]

A big day for us, first the Parking Lot Sale, then Coleman's soccer game, then hosting our Tuesday night small group for a cookout. When it was all done it was just the two of us, Zoe spending the night with a friend and Mary in Brazil. Coleman went into the house but I didn't at first, I had a couple of things to do. Coleman came back out. I said "watcha doin?" He said, "I don't like being alone." Glad he came back out to be with me I said, "Neither do I, Coley, neither do I."

It's a great fear isn't it? Being alone. The word itself means to be "all one", alone. Solitary. Forgotten. Deserted.

A woman wrote me this week. She had been crying she said because she had begun to feel again. After four marriages she had given up on the notion that she would ever have a "happy ever after". She met a man. They have been seeing each other. She likes him. She has begun to feel some hope that she will not be alone. She could see a possible future.

She and the man ended up in a dispute. She saw a side she hadn't seen in him before. She was relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with another man in her life, so many relationships had gone so bad before. But still, she said, she kept wanting to go to that cellphone to contact him again. The craving for companionship, the desire to not be alone great, even in the face of a disastrous future, she still wanted to reach out and make a connection.

She said she just simply wanted "someone to say nice things to me, just making intelligent conversation..." The hunger for human love is compelling.

"I don't like being alone." My little boy spoke his heart. He speaks for most of us. Yet we're having to say goodbye to so many of the vital, meaningful relationships in our lives: our kids grow up and move away, our grandparents and parents pass away, spouses divorce or grow apart, friends change over time, as the years increase, they grow more distant. We find ourselves alone more and more.

Why does God design us to be so relational and yet life seems to trend toward loneliness? Could it be that through life's journey His plan is to help us realize that He remains? He is the One who never leaves, never forsakes. He doesn't move away or reject us. He'll never divorce Himself from us. He won't grow distant with time. He won't cut ties with us.

We can find ourselves feeling lonely. We can search to fill the void. We can reach for the cellphone, or make contact on the Internet, drive ourselves to find a friend, invite someone over, try to surround ourselves with people. But even in the crowd, we're alone.

Reach for the silent partner who is with you. Commune with God. Talk to Him. Share your fear of being alone. Let Him comfort you. Find peace in His friendship. Find joy in His goodness. He is a friend who loves at all times. Appreciate the people you have been given in your life, but understand there is one companion who will never allow you to be alone because He is ever present.

[bishoph]

Tremendous as usual.........thanks for reminding us that we are never really alone when we have the right relationship with HIM.

[MawMaw]

Another good'n!

[RandyWayne]

Funny thing is is that as much as some people need to be with others I need a good amount of 'alone' time.

[KeptByTheWord]

This is a great topic. I had to experience being "alone" myself for the first time a few weeks ago. My kids are teenagers now, and with that comes the "untying" of the apron strings, and now they are gone a lot more, involved with a lot of different activities. My husband was out of town working a few weeks ago, and my daughter was at a friends house for the weekend, and my son was at a friends house. I was completely alone. Had no one to cook for, no one to talk to, just me and the dogs and the cat.

I had my first taste, probably for the first time in my life, of being home alone, completely alone. I stayed at home too, I didn't go anywhere. I ate meals by myself, and it was just me, myself and I.

I had been excited at first at the possibility of just being alone, because I do value my time alone to myself, for a few hours anyway, but as the hours stretched into two days, it wasn't so fun. I was so anxious for my kids to get back home, for my husband to be back in my arms. It was my first reality of what it could be like in just a few short years when my kids completely "fly the coop" ....

I called my grandmother who is in her 80s. She raised ten children of her own, plus took in her sister's child, and raised him, as well as many other children through the years. She has probably well over 100 grandchildren, and great-grandchildren now. Yet, she is alone. She lives in a huge house that has eight bedrooms, and still keeps the fires going, and keeps herself busy quilting, knitting, and doing things around the house, and in the summer, keeps a huge garden. Yet, she is lonely. My grandfather died several years ago.

Often when we talk to her, she mentions feeling so alone, although there are family who stop by every day to see her, yet, no one lives there with her, so at nights and most of the time, she is alone.

I reminded myself to call her more often, as I realized just how lonely loneliness can become. Jesus is a friend who is with us, of course. But as humans, we still need "someone" physically to talk to us, hold us, and love us.

I guess this topic should be a reminder to us all to think about those around us who may be lonely, and give them a call today, or go and spend some time with them... our parents, grandparents, elderly neighbors... whoever they may be. Someday... you may be in their shoes, and wishing someone would do it for you.

Thanks DB for opening up this topic for discussion. It spoke to my heart today.

[MawMaw]

I guess this topic should be a reminder to us all to think about those around us who may be lonely, and give them a call today, or go and spend some time with them... our parents, grandparents, elderly neighbors... whoever they may be. Someday... you may be in their shoes, and wishing someone would do it for you.

So true Sis KBTW.

My FIL is also in his 80's and his precious wife passed away about 3 years ago. He lives right down the road from us and eats with us every night, but, yet he is so terribly lonely. My husband was down visiting with him yesterday and my FIL just broke down and cried. I'm sure he knows exactly how your grandmother feels.

[deacon blues]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

This is a great topic. I had to experience being "alone" myself for the first time a few weeks ago. My kids are teenagers now, and with that comes the "untying" of the apron strings, and now they are gone a lot more, involved with a lot of different activities. My husband was out of town working a few weeks ago, and my daughter was at a friends house for the weekend, and my son was at a friends house. I was completely alone. Had no one to cook for, no one to talk to, just me and the dogs and the cat.

I had my first taste, probably for the first time in my life, of being home alone, completely alone. I stayed at home too, I didn't go anywhere. I ate meals by myself, and it was just me, myself and I.

I had been excited at first at the possibility of just being alone, because I do value my time alone to myself, for a few hours anyway, but as the hours stretched into two days, it wasn't so fun. I was so anxious for my kids to get back home, for my husband to be back in my arms. It was my first reality of what it could be like in just a few short years when my kids completely "fly the coop" ....

I called my grandmother who is in her 80s. She raised ten children of her own, plus took in her sister's child, and raised him, as well as many other children through the years. She has probably well over 100 grandchildren, and great-grandchildren now. Yet, she is alone. She lives in a huge house that has eight bedrooms, and still keeps the fires going, and keeps herself busy quilting, knitting, and doing things around the house, and in the summer, keeps a huge garden. Yet, she is lonely. My grandfather died several years ago.

Often when we talk to her, she mentions feeling so alone, although there are family who stop by every day to see her, yet, no one lives there with her, so at nights and most of the time, she is alone.

I reminded myself to call her more often, as I realized just how lonely loneliness can become. Jesus is a friend who is with us, of course. But as humans, we still need "someone" physically to talk to us, hold us, and love us.

I guess this topic should be a reminder to us all to think about those around us who may be lonely, and give them a call today, or go and spend some time with them... our parents, grandparents, elderly neighbors... whoever they may be. Someday... you may be in their shoes, and wishing someone would do it for you.

Thanks DB for opening up this topic for discussion. It spoke to my heart today.

Thanks for sharing this!

[RandyWayne]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

This is a great topic. I had to experience being "alone" myself for the first time a few weeks ago. My kids are teenagers now, and with that comes the "untying" of the apron strings, and now they are gone a lot more, involved with a lot of different activities. My husband was out of town working a few weeks ago, and my daughter was at a friends house for the weekend, and my son was at a friends house. I was completely alone. Had no one to cook for, no one to talk to, just me and the dogs and the cat.

I had my first taste, probably for the first time in my life, of being home alone, completely alone. I stayed at home too, I didn't go anywhere. I ate meals by myself, and it was just me, myself and I.

I had been excited at first at the possibility of just being alone, because I do value my time alone to myself, for a few hours anyway, but as the hours stretched into two days, it wasn't so fun. I was so anxious for my kids to get back home, for my husband to be back in my arms. It was my first reality of what it could be like in just a few short years when my kids completely "fly the coop" ....

I called my grandmother who is in her 80s. She raised ten children of her own, plus took in her sister's child, and raised him, as well as many other children through the years. She has probably well over 100 grandchildren, and great-grandchildren now. Yet, she is alone. She lives in a huge house that has eight bedrooms, and still keeps the fires going, and keeps herself busy quilting, knitting, and doing things around the house, and in the summer, keeps a huge garden. Yet, she is lonely. My grandfather died several years ago.

Often when we talk to her, she mentions feeling so alone, although there are family who stop by every day to see her, yet, no one lives there with her, so at nights and most of the time, she is alone.

I reminded myself to call her more often, as I realized just how lonely loneliness can become. Jesus is a friend who is with us, of course. But as humans, we still need "someone" physically to talk to us, hold us, and love us.

I guess this topic should be a reminder to us all to think about those around us who may be lonely, and give them a call today, or go and spend some time with them... our parents, grandparents, elderly neighbors... whoever they may be. Someday... you may be in their shoes, and wishing someone would do it for you.

Thanks DB for opening up this topic for discussion. It spoke to my heart today.

Perhaps this is all that was missing.

[KeptByTheWord]

RW: I somehow have a feeling that too much loneliness, and too many chocolates would never lead to me looking like the beauty in the picture above