One day while watching television I could not believe my eyes when I saw a band that used to be popular in my teenage days. Many of our younger readers may not even have heard of “The Staccatos” but when I was young, we loved their music. Their most famous song was called “Cry to me.”

 

A line from this song caught my attention: “Loneliness is such a waste of time.” There are few things as devastating as loneliness. My wife was the manager of a home for elderly people and experienced first-hand how lonely the old people became when nobody, not even their children, visited them.

 

Loneliness can show itself in many ways. One can even be among good friends and family and still be very lonely; a loneliness of heart and soul. There can be many reasons for it. Sometimes we do not even know the reason why we are lonely, it just happens. One can also experience loneliness when you have to face a crisis on your own and are not in a position to share the problem with other people. Terminally ill people very often experience a different kind of loneliness as people can seldom relate to how you feel, in spite of their best intentions.

 

Sometimes we can even feel God-forsaken. Jesus experienced this kind of loneliness on the cross. Knowing that his followers would experience loss and loneliness after his ascension, he gave them the assurance that he will always be with them by way of the Holy Spirit. This promise holds true to this day. The Spirit is with us every moment of every day.

 

So, we need not feel lonely on spiritual terrain ever again, and even when we feel lonely as human beings, we can be assured that the Holy Spirit will be there to comfort us.

 

Prayer: How can we ever show our gratitude for your comforting presence every day, Lord? Please use us to comfort lonely people who cross our path.