In 2023, United States Surgeon General Vivek Murphy declared a national public health epidemic. It wasn性视界传媒檛 a new strain of COVID, however. It wasn性视界传媒檛 the Bird Flu or diabetes or cancer.
It was loneliness.
Loneliness is a national public health epidemic. According to a recent poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association, 30% of American adults say they experience feelings of loneliness at least once a week. Ten percent say they are lonely every single day. Among young people, it性视界传媒檚 markedly worse. Thirty percent of young adults aged 18-34 say they feel lonely at least several times a week if not every day.
Loneliness affects your physical health, your mental acuity, and even your job performance. Loneliness has been linked to depression, anxiety, and dementia. Loneliness is a public health epidemic.
Ironically, according to the studies, people living in big cities often feel the loneliest. In other words, the cure for loneliness isn性视界传媒檛 simply to be around other people. We feel lonely because we don性视界传媒檛 feel connected to the people around us. We feel lonely because we feel like they don性视界传媒檛 know us or understand us.
Sometimes we feel lonely because the people around us aren性视界传媒檛 the people we want to be connected to. For example, you may desperately want to find Mr. or Mrs. Right. You yearn for that kind of relationship, but God hasn性视界传媒檛 given it to you (at least not yet).
Sometimes we feel lonely because we close ourselves off to the people around us. We are afraid to try or feel like nobody could ever like us. Sometimes we expect friendships and relationships to fall into our laps or for other people to make the effort.
Whatever the reason, loneliness stinks. It hurts. It性视界传媒檚 hard.
Jesus understands loneliness. On the night before he died, all of his disciples 性视界传媒 his closest friends 性视界传媒 deserted him. One of them literally betrayed him. Another denied even knowing him. Jesus knows what it性视界传媒檚 like to feel alone, abandoned, and unloved.
Jesus understands your loneliness and he wants to help. First and foremost, he promises that he will never leave you or forsake you. He will be with you wherever you go.
But he also understands that we need human connection. He knows that we need other people. In the very beginning, when Adam was the only person on the planet, God said, 性视界传媒淚t is not good for the man to be alone性视界传媒 (Genesis 2:18). Then he made Eve.
In the same way, God has not and will never leave you alone. Look around you. You have family. You have friends. I hope you have a church family.
You may not have quite as many friends as you would like. You may miss family members who are no longer here. You may not have all the types of relationships you yearn for.
But you are definitely not alone.
It性视界传媒檚 okay to yearn for more. It性视界传媒檚 not wrong to feel sad because you miss someone. But don性视界传媒檛 ever lose sight of what you do have. Appreciate the people God has placed in your life. Don性视界传媒檛 close yourself off. Reach out to others. Go to church. Seek connections.
Because it isn性视界传媒檛 good to be alone. Thankfully, you have a Savior who is with you wherever you go. In his great love, he has also placed people in your life for you to love and who can love you.
You are not alone.
