Jun 11
27
How to Cope With Loneliness
“Loneliness is the most terrible poverty” – Mother Teresa
There is not a soul in the world who hasn’t experienced loneliness to some degree or another. It is a universal condition, from which no one is exempt. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, young or old, loneliness can invade your life and cause incredible heartache and pain. Legendary singer, songwriter and performer Michael Jackson understood that all too well throughout the course of much of his life.
“People think they know me, but they don’t. Not really. Actually, I am one of the loneliest people on this earth. I cry sometimes because it hurts. It does. To be honest, I guess you could say that it hurts to be me.”
Like millions of others around the world, Michael Jackson never figured out how to cope with loneliness, though it wasn’t for lack of trying. When asked how they cope with their loneliness, the following is how some people responded;
“Go to the shopping center for groceries.”
“I make sock puppets and then talk to them.”
“Go for a walk, swimming, shopping, seeing a concert or visiting the library.”
“Being around people and doing something you’re interested in can take your mind off being lonely.”
“Don’t dwell on it. Find a hobby, see a play, watch the news…”
“Just live with it.”
“Get a dog.”
“Do something productive.”
“Start playing an instrument and shut the world out.”
Do you see a pattern here? These activities may ease the pain of loneliness for a while, but in no time, it will return, most likely worse than ever. Sadly, “Coping” or “How to Cope with Loneliness” is what most people settle for but loneliness is not what God had in mind for us when He put us on this earth.
“Loneliness is the first thing which God saw that was not good.” - John Milton
Why is that? Because we were created for relationships and outside the context of relationships, man’s existence loses meaning and purpose. God wired within our very nature an innate desire to know and be known by others, starting with Himself. It is within a relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, that we can fulfill our deepest longing to be known and loved for who we are. Once we know that kind of love, we are free to love others as we are loved by Him.
One of the ways God’s love frees us to love others, is it deals with the selfishness within us. Selfishness is one of the greatest obstacles to having authentic relationships. When we pursue a relationship based on what is in it for us, that relationship quickly dissolves once we’ve taken everything we can and we no longer need what they have to offer. Most likely, you’ve been on the short end of a relationship like that before and you know how frustrating that can be. And, if you were to be completely honest, you’ve been that kind of friend a time or two yourself.
I Corinthians 13:4-8 talks about the way God loves us. When we love others the way He loves us, we will never run out of people to love. Being loved by God and loving others is the greatest cure for loneliness there is. You will never have to settle for coping with loneliness again.
To receive our complimentary PDF gift and find out more about, how to cope with loneliness, pursing a relationship with God and experiencing His love that will truly set you free go to Living Life Set Free
