“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me” (John 14:18, 19).
There are different seasons in our lives. There are times when our lives are full of people. There are times when we feel very much alone.
We all expect to have some lonely times. Lonely times come when our friends get married, our husbands get too involved with their careers, our children grow up and leave home or our parents die.
There are other times of loneliness that may occur that we never expected. Our husband may find another woman. Our children might work abroad. This loneliness is especially hard to bear. We may grieve greatly during these times because we feel that if we had just done something different, we might have been able to avoid this heartache. Our loneliness is greater because we
blame ourselves for it.
Loneliness can bring temptation into our lives. We can be tempted by depression, self-pity, adultery, overspending or suicidal thoughts.
One way to successfully deal with loneliness is to learn to appreciate the companionship of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. It is Jesus.
Have you ever tried spending the day with the Lord? You can ask Him to accompany you through the day and ease your pangs of loneliness. I have asked Jesus to do this for me, and He has always helped. It is possible for God’s presence to be so real that solitude becomes a blessing rather than a curse.
The next time you are lonely, try this. Ask Jesus to be your companion and close friend throughout the day.
Kimberly Snider is a missionary to the Philippines.
From “Moments for Moms,” a free email subscription.
Copyright (c) 2003 Women’s Ministries of the Assemblies of God.
http://www.ag.org/womensministries