Loneliness ...
The Sad Affair
Ron Clarke of Tasmania shared how "one of England's
great poets, Rupert Brooke, who died in 1915, wrote the following note: 'I felt
a trifle lonely before I left Liverpool; everybody seemed to have people to see
them off. So I went back on shore and found a dirty little boy who was
unoccupied who said his name was William. "Will you wave to me if I give you
sixpence, William?" I said. "Why, yes," said William. So I gave him sixpence and
went on board. When the time came he leaned over the railing on the landing
stage and waved. So I got my six-pennyworth and my farewell—thanks to William.'"
How very sad. Karen and Richard Carpenter in one of their popular songs
some time ago sang with deep meaning, "Loneliness, it's such a sad affair … and
I can hardly wait to be with you again." How true these words were for Karen who
starved herself to death because of her own loneliness and the feeling of not
being loved. Being popular and in the limelight can never compensate for the
need for close, loving relationships. I believe it was Janis Joplin, another
popular vocalist, who said that the only time she felt okay was when she was on
stage. The rest of the time she suffered from deep loneliness. She, too, took
her own life with an overdose of Heroin in 1970. Even though "her career lasted
only a few years, she has been hailed as the greatest white female blues singer
who ever lived."
Think, too, of the elderly whose friends have passed
on—the divorced, those never married, widows and widowers, numerous children,
teens, and their parents living in unhappy homes, spouses who are abused and
have nowhere to turn for help, military personnel and their families separated
at times of war … the homeless—the list of lonely people is endless. Loneliness
is indeed a plague of modern society. It is a very sad affair.
The fact
is we were created for relationships and while it may not be the most desirable,
we can live without romantic love, but we cannot live healthily without close,
loving relationships with at least one trustworthy friend.
Perhaps the
most pathetic loneliness of all is to feel separated and isolated from God.
For many of life's problems there are no simple, quick-fix
answers. It can take a while to gain a sense of belonging, but I encourage
you to hang in, and especially to join a small and accepting group.
Dear God ...
how I thank you ...
that you have created mankind ...
for relationships ...
and today ...
I especially pray ...
for the lonely ...
who are everywhere ...
Please help me ...
to be an encourager ...
and supporter ...
of at least one lonely person ...
or family ...
Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz
...
