Fighting Loneliness One Idea At A Time

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I have been in the middle of loneliness for years, and I have one answer: "Make the Trinity your best friend." When it comes to money, sickness, day-to-day sufferings, and daily challenges, we put our trust in people. Surround yourself with evenly yoked people, pray together, and put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:14-18). Learn to be a godly militant soldier in the army and never give in to the enemy no matter the cost. Trust in the Lord; he will never leave or forsake us.

Surround yourself with "rooted" people who have stood through tough times and remain faithful to God and his word. Increase your worship. It's hard when you're hurting but I've learned when the focus is truly on God what else matters. Find yourself at the feet of the Lord and he'll give you what you need and more.

Fighting loneliness is remembering that you are never really alone. God is with us at all times. In the early morning, I take my coffee and a good Christian book to read outside on the deck where I can hear nature come alive and read. It brings me closer to the best friend I've ever had, or ever will have, and that is God.

The first step in fighting loneliness is for people to turn back to God, to ask him/her for help in overcoming this problem and then to have faith that God will, indeed, send help. We should all pray to God, asking him/her to send us opportunities to heal others and for others to heal us. We should then be alert for these opportunities and live in a joyful attitude of expectation that God will send them to us. Love of God and love of our neighbors is the answer to loneliness.

Continued on page 5: 'We meet once a week in the morning online using Yahoo conferencing.' »