alone

 I think that one of our natural human bents is to believe that we are alone-- alone in how we feel, alone in how we struggle, alone in how we hurt, alone in life.  

We are sure other marriages are sweeter, stronger, more satisfying...and we are sure that if we shared these struggles, we'd be looked down on, judged, misunderstood, and more alone.

We are sure other jobs are more thrilling, more valuable. We sure everyone else has multitudes of meaningful friendships, and that we are the only ones who are alone, who are excluded, who are forgotten, who are not valued.  We're sure our lives aren't meaningful, sure our offerings unto Him are worthless.

We are sure we're alone because no one wants to be with us. We're sure people think all the negative things about us. We're sure we don't measure up, sure we're alone in our fears, sure that our struggles and sins and suffering is ours and ours alone, and would cause everyone to abandon us, if they knew.

I'm not sure if Satan just preys on this bent, or if he's the cause of it, or if he just exploits it and lets our minds run wild. But I DO know that darkness grows in minds and hearts running with lies of being alone.

How often does God talk about being alongside! About being close. About being brothers and sisters. About being adopted. About being His children, His family. About being WITH US.

Every lie of aloneness we allow or even embrace festers into more crippling lies...judgement, fear, bitterness.  It holds our sins and struggles in the dark to grow, instead of dragging them into the light to wither.  It expounds upon our fears, robs of us our joy, allows us to believe every whim and emotion and keeps us from sharing with other who will speak in TRUTH and BREAK the spell.

I HAVE NEVER had a friend confide in me, NEVER, that left me loving them less or thinking worse of them. It is SACRED, it is cherished, and if anything, it makes me want to be better, more intimate friends. I want to learn more, share more, live life better together.  

The idea that others will think badly of us if we bring people into our hurt is a LIE, and the opposite of our Father's thoughts and heart for us.

The moment we painfully bring another into our aloneness, WE ARE NOT ALONE anymore. The truths we cannot see through the struggles become CLEAR. God's perspective that we've been missing shines in. We quickly realize that others have struggled like we've struggled, that others have hurt like we hurt, that others have felt alone as we have felt alone, and it makes all the difference. 

We are not unloved and crazy. We are not horrifying and unwanted. We are not struggling while everyone else shines bright.

When we bring another in, a brother or sister in Christ, we. find. GRACE. 

We find His mercies, more.

In this ongoing season of so. many. battling. the. lie. of. alone, I promise you (because HE promises US), you are NOT. 

Take courage.  When we cannot pull ourselves up, Pull someone in.

May we live victoriously in Christ together, helping one another draw to the Mighty One, ever close.

He is not far from any one of us

Acts 17:27