Loneliness attacks us stronger when we have no goals for our day, and when we sit around the house with little to do. The cure for this is to get dressed, and to be productive. This is a choice that we make for our self.
There are many ministries that reach out to our community that need our support. Food banks and soup kitchens, children's programs, homeless shelters, etc. can often use our efforts and energy as volunteers. Planting and tending a garden is very therapeutic.
We can go to the food court at the mall and observe people who also appear to be lonely. Chatting with anyone else sitting alone or showing any signs of negative emotions is a way to break the ice. Our listening to them helps them to vent and to heal from their traumatic emotions.
We can join a service organization, help at non-profit organizations, take a class at the local college, or learn to sew, do carpentry, repair a car, paint a picture, play a musical instrument, etc. Our neighborhood events and local church are two other places to volunteer.
We get involved, meet potential friends, and end our loneliness as well. We can meet our neighbors, and we can find people in our community who are also lonely. With them, we can start a Bible study, support group, a book reading club, needlepoint or craft club, etc. Befriending another person who is lonely will give us positive feelings about our self too.
Of course, it is possible to be in a crowd, a club or even a marriage and still feel lonely. Our attitude makes a big difference in influencing our thoughts, feelings and choices. Seeking God's will for our day is our best chance for success.
Prayer:
Father God, help us to see that giving in to loneliness only makes us feel even more hopelessly lonely. Your Spirit will give us guidance and renew a spiritual perspective in our heart. We do not want to get in the habit of watching stressful, negative or ungodly TV programs or useless game shows. Help us to listen to uplifting praise music, and to spend our days in prayer for others and in praise to You.
Help us to avoid using chemical substances or other addictions to prevent negative feelings. Instead, we want to feast on Your Word and to walk in Your Spirit in order to feel good about our self. Show us Your will for our life and help us to meet the physical and emotional challenges of each new day. We trust in Your will for our life, and we embrace Your love for us, which is constant and eternal.
Thought for the Day:
Other people may not understand our circumstances or why we are feeling as we do, and we do not have to accept their criticism of us as truth; reading the Psalms in the Bible will show us that King David and other psalmists felt the same way that we do, and they found that the habit of praising God changed their negative emotions and outlook on life.
