An article on CNN.com suggests that there is an epidemic sweeping our country. This ailment affects people in all walks of live and social strata from “nursing homes and vibrant college dorms, in crowded cities and spread-out suburbs.” In often goes by such designations as social isolation or disconnectedness. This epidemic is that of loneliness. That is not to say that loneliness is a new problem, but it is a rising problem given the increase in one-person households and the shrinkage of our circle of intimate friends.We may think that we are connected as never before— we have cell phones, e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, and blogs (read through all the replies to my blog recently and you see why I’m writing about loneliness). Even though we have the technology of connectedness in place, we are more isolated and separated than we have ever been.
The article suggests several reasons for this. Time: we are busier and more programmed than ever before, and intimacy and friendship take time. Mid-Life Singles: Divorce has created more single middle-aged people than we’ve ever seen before. Shrinking Circles: One study shows that the average American today has 2 people with whom they can confide on important matters; in 1985, that number was 3. And 25% of Americans have no one with whom they can confide. This all makes me think of the old song by the group America--
This is for all the lonely people,God designed church to be a one-another fellowship in which we share the ups and downs of life as we encourage, support and hold each other accountable on our trip to heaven. The language of scripture for the church is not institutional but familial and communal. We are a family. We are a community. We need to do better are offering support and encouragement to those who desperately need it. God today is pointing to his church and saying, “This is for all the lonely people…”
Thinking that life has passed them by
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
And ride that highway in the sky
1 comment:
We resemble that. It appears that sometimes we view ourselves as spectators at an event to be entertained by the worship service. When we do that we find it easier to complain about the techniques and we miss the important part, our relationship with God and each other. I have talked to a coworker that doesn't attend church. Her rationale was that its just a "social status" event. A medal we wear on our sleeves or lapels to show off to others that are "not as religious" as we are. We forget that when we become focused on putting the details in, that we are prone to leaving the love and forgiveness out. We become intolerant of each other reflecting our desire for “having things the way we think they ought to be” versus reflecting the love between us by accepting our differences of opinions. We complain, stop coming, or even leave the congregation because of some undesired technique or something some has said that diverges from our “perfect performance” worship service or bible classes. To quote a previous Blogger’s comments, whom shall remain unnamed, We should “……get excited about our relationship in Christ and live together as a committed family”.
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