Antidote for Loneliness
Heartbreak is a term that gets tossed around but rarely refers to an actual physical event. However, many of us have experienced that feeling of heaviness, even a deep ache, when our heart is wounded by the actions of another. Regardless of the cause — unmet expectations, cutting relational ties, hurtful habits unbroken, unintentional dissapointment — the feeling of a broken heart can become all too familiar. Expressing this pain can be difficult because, while others want to understand, the lack of personal experience often limits true comprehension. Coupling our hurt with this unmet desire to be fully known can lead us to a lonely place. We long to be in communion with one who sees all we have gone through, who validates our heartache and grief, and who knows how much strength it took to try again, to confront the triggers, or just to continue taking things one day at a time.
Knowing that Jesus experienced pain on this earth is one thing. We read of the anguish he felt in Gethsemane, when he told his disciples “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death” (Mark 14:34). His journey to the cross, bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders, was a trial difficult to completely comprehend. There is no question he dealt with affliction and grief. However, there are many times in which his heartache stemmed from circumstances so similar to ones we find ourselves in daily. Recognizing these situations opens our mind to the reality of his comprehensive understanding in our lives.
“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not recieve him.” John 1:9–11
God created, sustained, and prepared an entire nation of people who failed to recognize him when he came to earth. Just imagine the heartbreak that scale of rejection caused Jesus. These verses illuminate just one scenario in which Jesus experienced our grief. He has been rejected, alone, misunderstood. He spent years walking this earth, surrounded by crowds of people hanging onto his every word. Yet even his twelve best friends rarely comprehended the message he was trying to share at first. Being imperfect humans, they often left him hanging when he needed them most. So as you bring him the heaviness of your heart, the burden that is too much for you to bear, remember this: He knows.
He knows your pain, has felt your anguish, and understands the loneliness you feel regardless of how many people are around you. He sees the recurring grief that rears its head at the most inconvenient times. When a past pain is triggered anew and you are unsure who to turn to, he never tires of hearing your voice. As your heart is too heavy for words, he invites you to spend time in his peaceful silence. He will sit with you in your grief, when your soul is sorrowful and your tears fall in silent communion. He knows your heart, sees your pain, and he brings hope. He offers understanding as one who has been through exactly what you experience. Healing is a process and his constant companionship is the antidote to loneliness on the journey.
