Free Loneliness (June Hunt Hope for the Heart) by June Hunt Page A

present meaning until this century, and did not appear in any major dictionary until after the Second World War. In other words, loneliness has only recently been thought of as a mental condition. 1
    It doesn’t take long in the classroom of life to learn that you can experience loneliness even when surrounded by a crowd. But solitude is much different. Properly handled, loneliness can be a doorway leading to a deep relationship with God. Jesus experienced solitude but enjoyed unity with the Father.
    “You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.” (John 16:32)
WHAT IS Loneliness?
    Have you ever felt lonely in the midst of a crowd, feeling separate from people while in the midst of people ? It’s as if a great, invisible wall is keeping you isolated, allowing you to observe but not belong.
    Have you ever felt so alone and burdened by sorrows that it was painful to watch others smile, chat, laugh, and go on with their lives with apparent contentment? In this condition, it can feel like no one else walks in your shoes, understands your pain, or senses your struggles.
    This is loneliness, the state of sadness that comes from feeling alone, isolated, or “cut off from others.” 2 This sense of “disconnection” can be experienced at any time—when you don’t have friends and loved ones nearby or even when you do.
    “Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.” (Psalm 69:20)
Loneliness is a state of sadness resulting from feeling isolated or “cut off from others.” 3
Lonely in the Old Testament is translated from the Hebrew word yahid , which can mean “solitary, forsaken, wretched.” 4
The psalmist David cried out to the Lord during his times of loneliness.
    “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.” (Psalm 25:16)
Loneliness means feeling separated from others.
Lonely in the New Testament is sometimes translated from the Greek word monoō, which means to “be left alone.” 5
Loneliness can often occur when loved ones pass away.
    “The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.” (1 Timothy 5:5)
Lonely Even with Christ in My Heart
    Q UESTION: “How can I feel lonely when I have Christ in my heart?”
    A NSWER: It is not sinful to experience the pain of loneliness. In fact, it’s perfectly normal. We are made to have significant relationships with God and with others. When there is great loss or a great change in our lives, we experience great pain and stress. Even Jesus hurt when His friend Lazarus died. Tears are not wrong; they are God-given for healing.
    “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
WHAT IS Chronic Loneliness?
    Everyone experiences loneliness at one time or another, but you may be someone who struggles with loneliness day in and day out, with little or no hope for relief. You may feel like you are isolated on one side of a river and underneath an ominous black cloud that pours a steady rain of loneliness on your soul. You see people on the other side of the river, walking and talking with each other in the warmth of the sunshine and you yearn to join them, but have no clue how to bridge the river and cross to the other side.
    Some people feel lonely because they are withdrawn, uncommunicative, and lack relationships. However, others feel lonely because they are in a physical relationship that leaves them inwardly isolated and very much alone.
    Proverbs says ...
    “Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.” (Proverbs 14:10)
Chronic loneliness means continually feeling isolated and disconnected from others. 6
Can develop from constantly feeling misunderstood or cut off from everyone
Can be rooted in feeling socially inept, full of shame, or having low self-worth
Chronic loneliness often leads to personal isolation, bitterness, and destructive