This week I was visited by a familiar friend. Some of you may be able to empathize with me; it was loneliness. I was sitting, and I started to feel the overwhelming presence that accompanies it. My mind began to wonder about all the what-if scenarios that are all too familiar to me. Am I strong enough to get through this moment? Why do people always say that God will not give you more than you can handle when Paul makes it clear that He does. In 2nd Corinthians 12: 8-10, it states, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." We are placed in circumstances and situations that we are too weak to bear without Christ. The strength of God can take over only when our human strength comes to an end.
I was there this week when loneliness cornered me, I tapped out and called Jesus for help. His strength was evident when I picked up His word, and in Hebrews 12:3, I found comfort in the following verse "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." I was faced head-on with a choice; would I go back to one of my old favorites' habits before Christ? The bait and switch. I used this method whenever I did not want to be alone.
I would sacrifice myself to fend off loneliness, and I paid a high cost. The fear of loneliness drove my decisions until I understood the role of Christ in my life. In Luke 4:18, the word of God says, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free." This week I realized that I was the oppressed because I struggled to decide whether to stay with Christ's plan or reverting to the bait and switch method. I realized the temporary enjoyment it brought was not worth the cost to my spirit and soul.
I started to ask myself questions, like Is what I am feeling true? Where is my focus right now, is it on the issue or God? Do the what-if statements in my mind line with my new life in Christ or with the life I left behind? Then came the game-changer, I spoke to God about the issue. I then realized the reason this changes the game is that whatever we bound on earth is bound in heaven. And whatever we lose on earth is lose in heaven. Bound up loneliness and lose the presence of the Holy Spirit in its place. Repeat as many times as necessary. Loneliness may be a part of life. However, understanding that you are never alone is also a part of life in Christ. Remember, when you are at your end, God is just beginning.
Love you all.