Overcoming Loneliness for Christians

By Carrie Fancett Pagels

Doesn't the woman on the cover of The Lady of Bolton Hill look like she is lonely and seeking someone to take her to the next stage of her life?  Elizabeth discussed her feelings of loneliness in her interview on Monday.  I found a great link to an article about Christian singles overcoming loneliness.


As a single, we might ask. "What if I never marry?"  You can be lonely in a marriage, too.


Where you are for the season - sometimes just accepting that you are where God has put you and finding what happiness you can in the situation can make the difference between despair and peace. We only are given so many days for our journey.  Sometimes we are alone as far as a mate being alongside us but we are never without God's presence. For the Christian, whether married, single, widowed, divorced, regardless - making God the focus of your life gives the basis for your everyday living.  Getting into the Word, spending time in prayer, and participating in the church and reaching out to others, may even be easier to do as a single person. 


One of the things that happens with singles in churches, however, is that they are either swept to the side or are pitied.  I experienced this sensation after I was married and had a child but was living in Atlanta for a short time without my family.  I was never so aware of how we in the church overlook people without a spouse or family present with them in the church body.  Some of that is self-centeredness or pew-warming (people there as though church is a social event).  However, much may be people simply consumed with managing their own little families and not having much energy left after a long week.  And with today's busy families and many women working full-time outside of the home, there are precious little emotional resources left to extend to others.


In a good marriage there is the sensation of being able to sink into the other's strength and draw on that to get through the tough times. As a single, one has to draw on friends and families for that support.  And there is no denying that it is different than what an excellent relationship with a spouse gives.  On the other hand, rushing into a marriage that God has not sanctioned for you will only worsen your situation. Having not married either of my first two fiances, I am grateful I was spared from the heartache of divorces that surely would have resulted had I married either of them. A bad marriage is worse than singleness.  But that is a topic for another day's post! 


DRAWING: The winner for this week's book, one of Elizabeth Camden's novels, will be announced this afternoon.  The Rose of Winslow Street and Lady of Bolton Hill can be purchased through CBD, Amazon, and other booksellers. 

Leave a comment for a chance to win either book. Drawing is today.