Home Once More: Day 163 - Yesterday Now Today

"Loneliness. It's a cry, a moan, a wail. It's a gasp whose

origin is the recesses of our souls. Can you hear it? The abandoned

child. The divorcee. The quiet home. The empty mailbox. The long days.

The longer nights. A one-night stand. A forgotten birthday. A silent phone."

No Wonder They Call Him The Savior

Max Lucado

Loneliness can also be a smiling face whose heart is breaking, but the person is too afraid to share the need with a friend for fear of rejection, condemnation leading to more guilt and shame, and ultimate despair. It can be a child within a family of many who is lost or ignored, because he/she gets in so much trouble the parents need a break.

It can be the one who's stuck in a bad marriage, secretly being emotionally tormented by her husband who's a man of position in the community or church. It can be a home full of noise and laughter, yet one person is silently suffering, and no matter how much fun or bantering is going on, inside the person secretly wants to end his life.

cutting #suicide #depression #anxiety #bipolar #hurt (Taken with ...

A mailbox can be overflowing with Medicare announcements of your forthcoming 65th birthday, and you're suddenly smacked in the face that you are alone, a thousand or more miles away from your children, paralyzed mentally in knowing how to bridge the gap. I know about forgotten birthdays, Mother's Day, and other holidays. And although my phone rings off the hook, the calls, although well-intentioned, can often lead to more uncertainty and loneliness.

Thoughts surrounding the above passage from Max Lucado's book, No Wonder They Call Him The Savior, have been tumbling around in my brain for several days. I've been receiving answers to prayer that settle my soul, yet I realize I have to do something about it. You ask, He answers! You just have to listen for the response, and you have to decide whether you want to obey it or not. That's not a difficult choice for me, because I always want what He wants. I'm just not as astute as He is, so I need clear directions, a guided path, a floodlight and writing on the wall. He just shakes His head and reassures me that, "Yes, you heard correctly," and "Give Me a break, girl!"

When I was lunching with my two gal friends we were talking about the needs in the community, particularly those at the local nursing facility. It's full of lonely people, promised a safe place to live, with their needs in consideration, but often they are empty promises. I've had my fill of those myself.

We three just happen to be The Three Musketeers when it comes to advocacy. It was at that fateful meeting that I asked my friends if they would be interested in learning puppetry as my puppeteers have grown up and moved away. The response was a wholehearted, YES!! Sounds like fun! sort of response. So now "I" have to "do" something. God opened a door.

Elderly chronic loneliness can lead to more doctor visits

My friend, Max Lucado, only hits the surface about loneliness, a state of being in which I am very much an expert. Of course, when you see me, when you talk to me, rarely will you get the feeling that I need anyone except God in my life, because I am always bubbly, being my fun-loving, crazy, upbeat "me." I try to encourage those who are lonely, depressed, discouraged, seeking answers, and my conversation always include my faith in the Lord. God tells us we do need fellowship, although some are called to ministries of solitude and resoluteness, still we need the company of worshipers in atmospheres of praise to our Abba. And, sometimes we need to take the hand of the one in pain and lead them, walk with them, until they find their way to the One who can end their pain, their despair, and fill their aching hearts with love and peace. He's my Rock and my Stay, and He's the one I hang with most of the time, but I do enjoy my trysts on the town with my buddies. It's not a cure all, as I so want to be closer to my children, who never visit me, and my friends, who never visit me, because I do visit them as often as I can, but I want to feel valued and worth the time, too. That's one area where my heart cries the loudest. Maybe you can identify with those feelings yourself!