Loneliness During the Holidays

The holiday season is a time of giving, cherishing time with family and friends–the epitome of hope and joy.  But let us remember that while we are enjoying the fruits of the holiday’s there are some who smile while inside they are hurting–because to them, the holiday season is synonymous with the passing of loved ones, lost relationships, or dark childhood memories. Loneliness is the only prison where we sentence ourselves and voluntarily carry out that punishment.  It’s a difficult place when we position ourselves to sit in areas of desolate solitude with the responsibility of nurturing ourselves—hoping the holiday season will end with haste.

If you are wrestling with the seeming insoluble virus of loneliness, know that there is a cure. And the cure isn’t some mystery that only can be obtained by in-depth counseling or seminary…but it involves a willingness to be guided down a path towards a healthy and wholesome you.Loneliness is cured by a bold desire to reclaim your life despite your circumstance, to acknowledge that God is right beside you despite your individual situation or what others may tell you.
Remember that God is right there to pick you up and mount up as wings on eagles, where you will run and not be weary you will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Psalm 27:10 (New International Version)

¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

Psalm 31:7 (New International Version)

⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.

Psalm 46:1 (New International Version)

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 55:22 (New International Version)

²² Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.

Psalm 112:4 (New International Version)

⁴ Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous

Psalm 147:3 (New International Version)

³ He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.