If you feel alone, apparently you are not alone in this feeling. Many Americans feel this way as well. A whopping forty-six percent of U.S. adults also report feeling alone or left out. But are we really alone?
Loneliness is defined as a feeling of being alone or lacking social connections. And it seems that the loneliest generation of Americans are younger, with eighteen to twenty-two-year-old adults with the highest score on the UCLA Loneliness Scale. This scale uses twenty indicators to gauge the level of loneliness a person feels. A few of the twenty indicators are 1) feeling like there is no one to talk to
2) waiting for people to call or write 3) finding it difficult to make friends. But all generations placed on the loneliness scale. Despite social media connections, people lack real ‘in-person’ relationships. (cbsnews.com/ Many Americans are Lonely/ May 3, 2018)
Although the scale was built to assess the levels of loneliness in adults, this condition also impacts children. In the years before my stepfather came into our lives, I knew the loneliness of being a latch-key kid. At age six, I was letting myself into an empty apartment with the key that hung from my neck. I felt lonely because I was truly alone. But that condition did not last long. The summer after first grade, I met my oldest and dearest Friend, Jesus. The difference that Jesus made in my lonely childhood could never be fully expressed, but my gratitude is deep and heart-felt!
Jesus’ promise in Hebrews 13:6 is a quote from God’s promise in Deuteronomy 31: 6, “-I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” God does not want us to feel lonely or believe that we are alone. He wants us to remember that He never wants us to feel desolate, alone, or without hope and resources. So, is there hope for loneliness in a relationship with God? Yes! He provided the way to connectivity through the finished work of His Son Jesus. Humanity was created to be in relationship with God, the Creator, but that camaraderie was marred by the sinful choices of our first parents.
But that issue was rectified at the cross when Jesus created the path back to God the Father. Now humanity once again has the opportunity for simple fellowship with its Creator. Jesus is the loneliness Eraser. Not only does He fill our lives with Himself, but He also teaches us how to be the best of friends. It’s a win-win. Perpetual friendship plus friend-making advice by mankind’s Purest Friend!
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