Do you feel alone?

If you could count the number of times you’ve felt alone throughout your life and particularly during the pandemic, what is your best guess?

I am here to tell you, you’re not alone. 

So many people are feeling more alone now than ever before. And because we live in a society of individualism, navigating through Covid is compounding our experience with and feelings of aloneness. Keeping connected with others is vital to our emotional and mental wellness.

For me, there were many times in my life when I have battled loneliness. I remember staying up all night many times writing papers during my undergraduate degree; I found myself not only overwhelmed, but also tired, stressed and very alone. As I got settled into my career, I found myself desperately trying to climb the corporate ladder and struggling to achieve my goals – again, I felt alone. And not many years after getting married, I found myself alone as I struggled with infertility. And perhaps the season I found myself feeling most alone, was when I was battling postpartum depression and my husband was away frequently, travelling the world as part of his job.

During these seasons, I developed a habit of feeling alone. I know now how much it kept me from experiencing joy and growing closer to God. As I embraced loneliness as my identity, I was unable to access peace, joy and contentment. 

Thankfully, God is patient with me, and he will be patient with you too. When I surrendered this loneliness to him, embracing him as my refuge and my strength, I began to feel lighter. 

Proverbs 3:5 became a foundational scripture for me during this season of surrendering “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” 

Some of us struggle with family, friends, work, health issues, and some of us grieve the many things in our lives that have caused us pain; some of us are grieving the inability to see family and others are experiencing the death of loved ones whom they can’t see in their final days as a result of Covid … you are not alone. God sees and knows just what you’re going through.

In our weakness, we can really experience God’s power; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says “For when we are weak, He is strong.” 

In moments when you feel truly alone, I want to encourage you to surrender and invite God in. Practice surrendering whatever it is that’s making you feel alone so that you can lean on His strength as yours will always run out.