There is a loneliness that is more profound than simply being alone, and it is experienced when we join ourselves with someone who places no value in who we really are. There is a rejection that is more devastating than the sense that we are simply not attractive, and it is experienced when we discover that we have become nothing more than an apparatus to fulfill our partners needs. There is an emptiness that is more desolate than simply being ignored, and it is experienced when the person we are closest to does not respect nor encourage us. Ultimately, we are better off taking the journey on our own, than to travel in the company of one whose apathy shouts our insignificance.
In the time of Christ, apathy, indifference was the most offensive, hurtful human emotion. In our world maybe it is “hate.” Not so in theirs. Indifference to them meant you were not even worth getting worked up about. To be silent, or unresponsive to another was considered an insult, a manifestation of indifference. First century peoples understood what you wrote better than we do.
Bryan> I appreciate your heart and insights, and I know a number of people who would wholeheartedly agree with you. And while I can’t add to or take away from the reality of your post, I would like to share a few thoughts that may serve to help those who are presently experiencing loneliness, hopelessness despair.
I have come to realize that we are never really alone. However, there have been moments in my life when the feeling of loneliness would descend on me like a dark cloud.
When you feel alone, hopeless and despairing, know that Holy Spirit and the reassurance of Yahweh’s love will be there to sustain you in that hour. Blessings!
“Love is a commitment to do the right thing long after the feeling of being in love has somewhat diminished.” blh
“People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.” ― Audrey Hepburn
Amen, my friend. The context of this piece was really aimed more toward the popular cultures perceptions about relationships and being alone. I absolutely agree that once we have a genuine encounter with the living God, we are truly never alone. If our identity becomes rooted in Him, we no longer need to look to someone else for our sense of significance. That said, I do believe that we as followers of Christ have a responsibility to nurture and care for those He’s joined us with and that we need to understand the consequences of being apathetic.
I can’t even imagine the pain. And I can understand your conclusion. I would, however, express concern that this not be license for walking away from a covenant of marriage without consultation with elders.
I certainly wasn’t advocating any such license. I was simply pointing out that there are worse things than going it alone. That said, I do believe that God’s hatred of divorce is rooted in the destruction that it causes to His children, and that He is far less worried about the “Institution of Marriage” than He is about the people involved. I have often seen religious leaders be more protective of the institution than of those who are being emotionally destroyed in these relationships. I don’t believe that reflects God’s heart. Just as Jesus said of the Sabbath, was man created for marriage, or was marriage created for man?