Loneliness Has Purpose
by Sharon Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.
Genesis 2:18 ESV
Aloneness created a need in Adam for another person. So God created Eve. Note Adam’s loneliness was not an “oops moment” for God. Creating Eve was not an afterthought. God planned the creation of community from the beginning. Loneliness sounds negative, but loneliness showcases our need for one another. Crisis magnifies this need and demonstrates one reason why God calls us to community.
Whenever I speak at a women’s event, there is always at least one woman who shares a desperate situation with me. Exhausted eyes fill with tears as she describes the hard place in her life and asks me for counsel. Several of my first questions are, “What is the name of your church? Who is in your small group? Have you talked to your Bible study leader?” My heart sinks if she tells me she does not attend church or a small group, or if she does, her attendance is erratic. My counsel won’t help as much without an established group of people ready and eager to come alongside of her in her pain. Such community is a gift of God to His people. The command of community throughout Scripture is for our good.
The time to cultivate these kinds of friendships is in the mundane moments of life before a crisis hits. Community makes our lives richer as we live life together, encouraging one another, holding each other accountable, meeting physical needs, carrying one another’s burdens. When such community is our norm, calling these friends is our auto-response to a crisis:
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 17:17, ESV
Who do you call when life turns upside down? Who calls you when a crisis hits? Does loneliness cover you like a dark cloud? Let us remind one another of the treasure of community for everyday life and for those times when life crashes in.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
The next time you attend church, ask the Lord to open your eyes to that one person who needs an extra set of hands with children or is new to your congregation. Introduce yourself and find a way to make the morning a little more comfortable. Ask the Lord to show you how to welcome others to your church the same way you would to your home.
Are you the new person, uneasy about attending a new church? Ask the Lord to prepare the way as you go and to connect you with someone who also needs a new friend.
As the pastor preaches, note scriptures and comments made about community and how the message applies to your personal life. Commit to reviewing the scriptures and notes later in the context of personal worship and praise.
PRAYER
Father, thank you for the gift of community. Use our loneliness to drive us outside of ourselves. Open our eyes to opportunities to connect with others, not just as a salve to our own loneliness, but as a means to meet the need of someone else.
Sharon W. Betters is author of Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness and co-author of Treasures of Faith. She is Director of Resource Development and co-founder of MARKINC.org, a non profit organization that offers help and hope to hurting people. Sharon enjoys quality time with her husband, children and fourteen grandchildren.
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Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.