Have you ever felt so lonely that it hurt? That you cried big crocodile tears and felt like no one else would understand? I felt that way about a week or two ago. I hadn’t experienced loneliness like that in a very long time. I’m married and have two young children, so in this season of life I usually find myself craving alone time.
Anyway, the details of why I felt lonely don’t really matter. My first inclination was to run for comfort to many places…the TV, a friend, a family member, maybe even some sort of food. But I ached so bad and fortunately listened to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to turn to God and His word.
I picked up my Women’s Devotional Bible and turned to the subject index. There were a few devotions on loneliness. The first one talked about Joseph and how lonely he must have felt when he was sold into slavery by his brothers and while he was in prison even though he was innocent of the charges against him. Wow. That sure takes my loneliness down a notch because I’ve never had an experience anywhere close to that. However, I still felt those pangs of loneliness and needed more comfort.
It was at the end of the second devotional I read that I got what I needed. It was written by Gini Andrews. “Just because he has created us as unique individuals, our Father knows the best way to fill each one’s empty places. It is only God who can fill our deepest longings, who never has an appointment elsewhere, who never replaces us with someone he likes better, who promises never to leave us totally alone. He is the only one who wants to be and always can be the unfailing companion on our journey.”
Wow. What a wonderful reminder right when I needed it. That paragraph spoke directly to my heart and this time I cried tears of relief and gratitude. Thank you, Father, for being so very gracious to us in our time of need!
Melissa
Oh, Melissa, what a sweet, heart-touching blog post! And very well written.
When I was a young mom, I felt very lonely too, and oh, so sorry for myself because I’d think about all the family I had in Guatemala I could share so much with, including the burden of caring for three little ones.
I also felt kind of trapped. It’s hard caring for little ones. And like you said, you crave alone time, but you also feel lonely. It really is complicated!
I love how you ran to God to supply your need. And I love the quote you used about Him always being there.
I look forward to reading more of your beautiful thoughts. You are a blessing to us!
I know mothers of young children can all relate to this.
Bless you Big!