Sometimes when I'm alone all I feel is the comfort of contentment. I'm happy to jump off the colorful carousel of life filled with music, laughter, voices, humming and buzzing. Slipping into silence and solitude at those times causes my soul to heave a huge “Ahhhhh....” Then, there are times when I'm alone and don't want to be alone. I'm hungry for touch, eager for companionship, tired of my own self and aching – really aching – to be a part of someone else's life. It's as if one more moment without human presence will confirm to me that I don't matter to anyone, that I am nothing more than a forgotten leaf on hard concrete.
Here are our== things to re-invigorate you with energy for life when loneliness has been too familiar a companion.
Do something you like to do.
When loneliness is holding you hostage, it's hard to think of anything you like to do. So stop reading right now and make a list of 7 things that bring you enjoyment. Then when you feel like you're so lonely you're going to be flushed down the drain of anonymity, pull out the list and randomly choose an activity from it. You'll find the spirit of loneliness ebb as you enter into the reality of delight.
Do something you've never done before.
When God fashioned the world from dust it was fashioned with nearly limitless creativity. It would be difficult, in one lifetime, to do everything we want to do, much less everything there is to do. Right now, jot down 7 things you've never done before that are interesting to you – paint, play billiards, sing karaoke, get a massage, eat ethnic food, write poetry, or jog around the block, for example. When we do something we've never done before, an energy of expectation runs through our soul and loneliness suddenly seems as distant as the moon.
Do something unexpected.
Eleanor Roosevelt is reported as saying, “Do something everyday that scares you.” One of the ways we experience the movement of God in us is to do things that neither we nor others expect us to do. We discover gifts and skills in ourselves that we had not known were there, and we grow in our own ability for creative process. In the room of creativity, loneliness has no place.
Do something sacrificial.
The word sacrifice actually means to 'make sacred.' When we start looking around to see what we can make sacred, special, holy, or set apart for God, we are surprised to find that our heart opens with compassion. Suddenly, rather than clawing our way to affection and love, we find ourselves giving affection and love to others. In the hall of compassion loneliness slips away as easily as a balloon dropped from a child's small hand.
Four simple practices that will render loneliness powerless. Four simple practices that will fill you with gratitude for your own particular life. Four simple practices that will take you into the heart of heaven and into the love that is boundless and eternal.
(First appeared on www.explorefaith.org)
Here are our== things to re-invigorate you with energy for life when loneliness has been too familiar a companion.
Do something you like to do.
When loneliness is holding you hostage, it's hard to think of anything you like to do. So stop reading right now and make a list of 7 things that bring you enjoyment. Then when you feel like you're so lonely you're going to be flushed down the drain of anonymity, pull out the list and randomly choose an activity from it. You'll find the spirit of loneliness ebb as you enter into the reality of delight.
Do something you've never done before.
When God fashioned the world from dust it was fashioned with nearly limitless creativity. It would be difficult, in one lifetime, to do everything we want to do, much less everything there is to do. Right now, jot down 7 things you've never done before that are interesting to you – paint, play billiards, sing karaoke, get a massage, eat ethnic food, write poetry, or jog around the block, for example. When we do something we've never done before, an energy of expectation runs through our soul and loneliness suddenly seems as distant as the moon.
Do something unexpected.
Eleanor Roosevelt is reported as saying, “Do something everyday that scares you.” One of the ways we experience the movement of God in us is to do things that neither we nor others expect us to do. We discover gifts and skills in ourselves that we had not known were there, and we grow in our own ability for creative process. In the room of creativity, loneliness has no place.
Do something sacrificial.
The word sacrifice actually means to 'make sacred.' When we start looking around to see what we can make sacred, special, holy, or set apart for God, we are surprised to find that our heart opens with compassion. Suddenly, rather than clawing our way to affection and love, we find ourselves giving affection and love to others. In the hall of compassion loneliness slips away as easily as a balloon dropped from a child's small hand.
Four simple practices that will render loneliness powerless. Four simple practices that will fill you with gratitude for your own particular life. Four simple practices that will take you into the heart of heaven and into the love that is boundless and eternal.
(First appeared on www.explorefaith.org)
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