Ever felt isolated? Been feeling isolated and it’s been a minute?

Yeah.

People have been telling me to get comfortable being by myself. I mean, I get what they’re saying, but humans were made for fellowship, and one of the first accessible observations God made was that it wasn’t good for man to be alone.

Here’s the thing: we DO need people. No man is an island. We need the encouragement, the filling up to pour out. And in so many instances, the healing balm and intimacy that comes with community and close relationship.

But, human interaction is also distracting, flawed, disappointing, and frankly hurtful. It’s the reason Paul said don’t marry if you can help it, as it distracts from The Lord’s purposes. We’re here for Him, and it’s better to marry than to “burn with lust”, but the main point remains. We are here to honor and glorify God.

So: if we have unresolved challenges, temptations, traumas, or resentments, it has the potential to limit our perception of Him, and how He uses us. It just does. And that perceived separation causes a heart made in the Father’s image to feel isolated…and all hearts were made in the Father’s image.

He didn’t isolate Jonah solely for his disobedience. He did it to get his undivided attention…and to put him back in a position to serve the purposes God had for him. He’s going to get our attention one way or another, rest assured. Belly of a fish would do it for me…I hope!

This goes for the greatest of ultimate outcomes as well.  We see in the first chapter of Luke, when Elizabeth found she was pregnant with John, she “kept herself hidden”. When Mary found she was pregnant with Jesus, she went away to her aunt for months and “pondered in her heart”. Once John was born, he lived in the wilderness until his public ministry. Even his father was silenced until after John’s birth, unable to communicate (isolated) until he fulfilled the purposes to which he was called. And hey, Jesus spent at least 40 days as John spent his entire youth.

So. God has me, us, isolated sometimes. Maybe rather than leaning away from the loneliness in effort to correct (poorly, btw)…in our strength instead of His….we prayerfully ask Him what He wants us to see? What if we welcome the isolation with gladness? What’s He healing? What’s He maturing? What’s He growing?  He’s gentle and Jesus calls us to learn from Him. Can we get excited that He thinks we’re worth the time and attention, the investment, instead of wallowing in our loneliness?

We’re distracted. He’s not angry; He loves us, has great plans for us, and equips us for His purposes and Glory. Pay attention, and do your best to be patient with yourself and the process.

He knows it’s hard. But it’s necessary. Be gentle with yourself. He is.

Today, trust that the one who has begun a good work in you is faithful to complete it. He promised.