Is there a cure for loneliness?
Submitted by Dirk Gently on February 09 2000 at 02:17:52
In reply to lonliness Submitted by Jack on February 08 2000 at 18:31:38
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I'm not sure. It seems that at the end of the day, unless we numb ourselves through constant activity or other addictive behaviour, we have to face the fact of fallen nature, of broken communion. It is not good for man to be alone, but that is precisely the case for each of us. I've heard married couples say that even in the best of marriages, there is still always a void which cannot be filled. Probably the most desolate of all the Psalms is 88. There have been a few times (very few) when I've been there. But the few times I've been there, I've discovered a comfort in the darkest places that is utterly unreasonable, and that I can only attribute to the grace of God. When I've been given the grace to see my spiritual poverty, my emptiness -- that's when I have begun to taste something of the fullness of Christ. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Perhaps loneliness is meant to be a reminder that none of us is self-sufficient. We are all poor in spirit. Let's not try to kid ourselves otherwise. As Christians, we are called to be like Christ. I believe it is simply unrealistic to expect continual Resurrection. Sometimes we need to spend a few hours at Golgotha, betrayed and (temporarily) abandoned. Dirk |