“It is strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely”; so said Albert Einstein. This painful plague invades the lives of the great and intellectual, as well as those in the lower stations of life. I think there is a difference between “alone-ness” and loneliness. One can be alone without being lonely. Intermittent periods of the former can be advantageous to a Christian’s growth, but never can this be said of the latter condition. Loneliness is the first thing God said was not good.
Loneliness has been described as being one of the most desolate words in the English language. Another has said, “It’s the disease of the decade.” Many things can contribute to this dreaded desolation. Aging, divorce, widowhood and the immobility that sickness brings, are just a few reasons. Whatever the cause, it leaves its victims with an inner ache, a vacuum, a craving for satisfaction, and an insatiable longing to be loved.
What is the cure for this toxic torment? Man has a two-fold need—fellowship with God and companionship with others. The first is met when the lonely person lays hold, by faith, on Jesus’ promise, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” The second is fulfilled when we ourselves fill in the blank space in the lonely person’s life and become an intricate part of it. Remember, “It is not good that the man [or woman] should be alone.”
Man loves company even if it is only that of a small burning candle. ~Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
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