Are You Lonely?

We have always known that loneliness is real and destructive to our health. The pandemic has kept millions home and has slowed to a stop the travel industry. Most of us have never experienced anything like this isolation and loneliness, and hope we don’t ever have to again.

Loneliness is one of the greatest threats to our sense of well-being. It affects our health through our behaviors on social media, food consumption, and a great many other things. One study suggests that nearly two—thirds of all people, regardless of age or gender, feel lonely at least some of the time. My mother-in-law is over 90 years old and lives by herself. My wife calls her every day because she is by herself. Can you imagine living in a house by yourself and having no one to talk to all day long? My mother-in-law loves to quilt, but even the quilting group has stopped meeting due to the pandemic.

The people of the early church were committed to sharing life together. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. They wanted to learn about Jesus and to understand His teachings. They “met together in the temple courts” and they “broke bread in their homes” (Acts 2:42,46).

As we pull out of this pandemic, let us be reminded that we all need human connection – God designed us that way! This season of loneliness has shown us in a real way that we need human companionship. The Greek word for “fellowship” (Acts 2:42) is koinonia. It tells us that we all need fellowship with believers to make sure we are not lonely. We need to share with one another, we need to tell the stories of Jesus to and with others, and we need to have fellowship around the table. We need human companionship. Our well-being requires it, and we need to be able to offer it to others.

Prayer: God – we seek connection for our sake and that of others. Help us to connect with others as we look forward to the day when we can return to normal and connect with fellow Christians. Amen.

Acts 2:46 – “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.”

By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Image: Canva