Does Love Make Us Feel Lonely?

Loneliness is something I’ve been pondering for some time now. I believe we all know each other and share connection on levels we do not understand. As a result, we feel something and yet we do not acknowledge it; perhaps this is why we can feel most alone when surround by others. In short, I believe it is in our nature to feel love for one another. And thus the love we may feel for a stranger, if not expressed, could in turn feel like rejection and loneliness (the unspoken hurt). In the same way, I believe we know and feel God… more than that, I believe we miss him.

I can tell you that I myself, feel the least lonely, when I am serving others. Service can give my love expression. It connects me to others and offers great satisfaction. And in loving and serving others, I am doing that which God does, which in turn ties me back to him. In this one thing at least, I feel that I have one solid piece of the puzzle. Perhaps one of the corners; helping to establish a frame for all the other pieces.

Living With Weakness

I believe we are born into this life with the light of Christ. And this light instills within us both a desire for righteousness and a feeling of how things could be. We desperately want to be loved. We innately believe that we should care for one another, that children should be nurtured, truth should be spoken, and integrity should be upheld. But here’s the rub; we also come with weakness, flaws, and struggles… making it impossible to sustain what the spirit craves.

Looking at my own life, I see beautiful moments of love, peace, and joy; allowing me to taste what could be, before weakness inevitable slaps me back down… leaving me to struggle with hurt and discouragement… wondering if the light of Christ gives me hope, or taunts me.

I know I can’t change the world; I can scarcely bring about change in myself. But what I really struggle with, is knowing that I can’t even spare my children. Sometimes I think depression is the result of someone’s heart being too compassionate to block out the hurt they see in others.

So how does one live with weakness? One day at a time.

Emoji vs Face

So I’m driving in the car listening to my wife tell me how a particular event went down badly. Then I say, “I wish there were some way I could project a sad emoji into physical space for you right now… O wait a minute, there is… my face!”

I find it interesting that my initial response to a social interaction was tied to a digital method.