Feeling Alone?

Alone? Have you ever felt alone?

It's a lousy feeling for sure. It's a feeling that affects the very core of our existence. It's a bazaar feeling to say the least. Have you ever been in the middle of a crowded room and felt alone? Or how about at a family gathering surrounded by friends and family and yet, you still feel alone. I'm blown away at how this feeling can drive the rest of our emotions. Feeling alone, often leads to irrational thoughts and desperate behavior. Whether we want to admit it or not, we HATE to feel alone. At least I do!

You see, I believe that we are CREATED to be in relationships. Our mind, body and soul crave relationships. Which is why the feeling of being alone is so alarming. Now, don't get me wrong, everyone needs some "my time" to recharge or breathe every once in a while, that's not what I 'm talking about. It's when that "my time" is involuntarily extended that it becomes a dangerous feeling. When was the last time you felt alone? Last week? Yesterday? Today? Right now? Candidly, I've felt alone far too often over the past year or so. Unfortunately, those alone feelings led to irrational thoughts and behavior a few times. I don't plan on going into detail, but what I would like to share is how God ministered to me in my most desperate times, and then maybe share an idea that I found really helped me fight the alone feelings.

So I'm driving home from work late one night. I get a call from the babysitter that one of my children was having a hard time and requested that I make it home fast! In response I had my car up to 70mph in a 40 zone. Yup, you guessed it, there "just happened" to be a police officer coming the opposite direction! Bam, I was caught. He flipped a u-turn and popped his lights. I reluctantly pulled over and went through the routine. What I need to tell you was this pull over event just happened to follow three extremely excruciating and emotionally painful days. The police officer walks up to the window and says "what's the hurry?" I shared my situation with him, didn't seem to faze him. I handed over my license, registration and insurance card. He began walking away when I hollered out the window, "officer, any chance for some grace tonight?" He just kept on walking. I then spent the next few minutes feeling extremely alone.

I said "You know God this is just perfect, how much more can you dump on me? I'm beginning to feel like you have completely abandoned me, I feel alone". I then remembered one of my favorite Old Testament characters, Gideon. If you don't know about Gideon, let me know and I will gladly share his story with you. So I say, "God, if you are still involved in my life, and haven't abandoned me, show me by allowing me find grace in the eyes of this officer". Bold, yes, desperate, absolutely. Well the officer walks up to my window and says, "I'm going to let you off with a warning this time, slow down and get home safely". You could imagine my reaction.

Well, put yourself in my shoes, short of getting out of the car and doing the happy dance, what would you have done? Well, I just sat there in utter amazement and began to ball like a baby. God revealed Himself to me! He answered a specific prayer. He's not done with me, I'm not alone! He knows my pains and sorrows. He knows what I'm enduring and has not abandoned me. No, it didn't take the pain away, but it sure did lessen the sting. My mind was opened up to how God had been working in my life the past few days. Even in the midst of all the pain and turmoil, He was orchestrating blessings. My focus was centered on my feelings of being alone that I didn't see His hand reaching out towards me. I wasn't and am not alone. Creator God knows that I have been pulled over in Issaquah, WA. He HEARD me! He HEARD ME!!

He hears you! He knows your feelings! He knows your pain! He knows and catches your tears! Really, He does! We are instructed in I Peter to cast all our cares/anxiety/pain on Him, for HE cares for YOU! It's one of the most freeing passages in all of Scripture.

Yes, it's OK to ask God if He is still involved in our lives, several men/women in Scripture have had similar experiences or conversations with God revolving around this topic. The point is, we are not alone, you are not alone. God is constantly at work around and through our circumstances, no matter how painful. The feeling of "being alone" is a ploy of Satan to drive us even deeper into the pit of despair. Don't let Satan win!

My Friend, I was once told by a good friend that you can gauge your potential by the size of trials. God uses all circumstances for His purpose whether we are a part of the outcome or not. My take on it right now is, I've come a long way this past 2 years, I'm not going to give up and let Satan win now! If so, all my victories would be for not. Satan knows where I'm weak, he knows that I don't like feeling alone. He knows that we are designed for relationships. If he can get us to throw in the towel then he wins. My encouragement to all of us this week, is to ask God to reveal Himself to us in ways that we could never have imagined, then open our eyes to see Him at work.

PS...Oh, and to help combat the feeling of being alone, we ought to find a church that demonstrates authenticity! It's in these churches you will find friends to hold you up when you feel alone! It has sure helped me!

PSS...another funny but practical tool is, don't listen to country music when you feel alone, it only worsens the feeling!

Scott is the father of the 3 greatest kids in the world. Everything he does he does for their benefit. He has spent the past 14 years serving others. He is a veteran public speaker who loves to communicate truth and life principles.

Scott also maintains a encouragement group on Facebook called "Yelling At God - Lamenting before the Divine". Where he sends out weekly stories of encouragement and provides avenues of help for the hurting.

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