Alone vs. Lonely

Luke 1:⁸⁰ “John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.”

We will kick off today’s devotion with our final thought from yesterday which is that the problem of loneliness cannot be solved by another human being. Erroneously, people look on the outside to solve a problem that can only be solved on the inside. Do you know that there are married people who are sleeping on the same bed and are lonely? While loneliness is a lack, a depressive state, a feeling of being isolated. Aloneness is not a state of lack, aloneness is actually freedom to be all that you have been created to be. Gen.2:¹⁵ “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.” When you are truly alone as God wants you to be, you are in tune with your person, in tune with your greatness, and in tune with your God. And you are tending your garden, you are productive and fruitful by yourself.

Many people think they need to get married first before they can be productive [fruitful]. Adam was alone and he was productive [fruitful]. You have to be fruitful by yourself.  If you cannot be fruitful for yourself, you will only cause problems for the other person. And it is because you will be putting on them what they cannot deliver to you. The solution to loneliness is on the inside. As beautiful as aloneness is, it is still not good, and it is not the best that God has for us. Gen.2:¹⁸ “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” The solution to aloneness is from the outside. So, God took something from him, made something from the outside, and brought it to Adam [Gen.2:23]. When you are alone, and God solves your aloneness that is when you actually realize that something was missing.

We are not to relate primarily out of need. Stop telling yourself that you cannot do without anyone because the truth is you can, and you need to tell yourself this truth. We are to relate from the overflow of our lives. God wants us to actually be alone, understand ourselves, and be the best that He has for us. Then we can enter into relationships with other people and bring value from who we are to the table. When we are unable to do that, we become a liability emotionally, a weight, a crutch, a burden, and nobody likes a burden. Nobody can carry a burden for a long distance, do you know that? People can carry a burden for a short while.

We were born dependent and should progress to being independent, and then interdependent. Unfortunately, a lot of adults lose their way and become co-dependent. But you will not lose your way in Jesus Name. Amen!

Prayer: Father, please give me the capacity to be all that You have created me to be, in Jesus Name. Amen!