TITLE: Loneliness
Introduction:
Ancient Mariner - Alone, all, all alone, Alone on a wide, wide sea: And never a saint takes pit on my soul in agony.
Milton - Loneliness is the first thing that God's eye named not good.
Genesis 2:18 not good for man to be alone
Job felt abandoned Job 19:13-19
Elijah felt alone against Jezebel 1 Kings 19
Jeremiah felt alone in Egypt Jeremiah 9:1-6
Moses, Jonah, Christ, Paul, Man a pool of Bethesda
Who is Lonely?
All of us have felt lonely at some time in our lives.
Death, divorce, separation from family, lack of communication = causes of loneliness
Those who have been mistreated (abused, raped, assaulted) are not willing to trust others and will feel alone.
In America last night 22% ate alone.
23 million American adults life alone
It hits us all at times
Children parents work, divorce, abandoned
Teens not kids, not adults adolescents are often lonely
College separation from parents, family, friends
Newly married new relationships must be formed
Parents empty nest children grow up and move to other states
Seniors loss of friends, family, spouse
What effects can loneliness have on us?
Withdraw We are lonely, we shut out the world, become depressed
Overactive to compensate, we take on every activity we can
Develop harmful habits alcohol, drugs, overeating
How can we cope with loneliness?
Seek to overcome it. We must fight this battle from the inside.
Proverbs 18:24 To have friends, must show himself friendly
Take some action outside our comfort zone:
Pick up the phone and call someone
Write a letter to a long lost friend
Go see a family from church
Have a party at your home
Turn your loneliness into solitude study, pray, read, write, play piano
Conclusion:
Loneliness can be a dragon that kills our joy, purpose, contentment
We must learn to be comfortable around ourselves
We must look to the needs of others not self-centered focus
Outline from a tract - Lonely? by Allen Webster