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“Loneliness was the fly in God’s otherwise perfect ointment…”

A thought by Craig Groeschel from his book, Dare to Drop the Pose (p. 59). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Loneliness is a terrible thing and God knows it.  Genesis 2:18 in the Bible says, “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone’ ”

Craig says, “Loneliness was the fly in God’s otherwise perfect ointment—a problem He fixed by doubling the human population from one to two (and opening the way for centuries of arguments over who gets to hold the remote control).

“But don’t miss this important point: God designed people to need each other. So, if it’s not good to be alone, I have one question: Why do I feel lonely so much of the time?”

That is a good question, isn’t it?

Craig goes on, “I’ve talked to married people aching for intimacy, kids who crave real friendships, teenagers who battle feelings of isolation. Countless single adults long for married companionship. Many older people feel abandoned, forgotten. Even leaders—you know, the ones who seem to have it all together—often feel lost in the hollowness of their souls. And God hates it. It’s not good for men or women to be alone.

“Why is God so passionate about loneliness? Because He deeply values relationships. He knows us better than Michelangelo knew the Sistine Chapel ceiling. So He wants us to know Him, and we come to know Him more by sharing His love with one another. But even though God wants people to connect intimately, many struggle with thoughts like: No one understands me. Does anyone genuinely care about me? If I died, would it really matter? No one knows the real me … and even if they did, they probably wouldn’t like me.” 

Maybe because of thoughts like those or maybe deep hurts by people in your life you have put barriers up in your life. 

Later Craig says, “Maybe your pride is blocking you from receiving great blessings from God through His people. If you battle loneliness, as my wife and I did for years, it’s not going to ‘just go away.’ Instead of blaming others, look at yourself and be honest—really honest. Are you willing to risk getting hurt in order to find truly meaningful, fulfilling relationships? Are you giving and receiving the love of Christ? If not, I dare you to do something about it.”

So, are you lonely, really lonely?  Look around, there may be someone close to you who is also really lonely.  So, will you be willing to risk getting hurt will you reach out to them?  Will you?

Yes, yes!
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