Loneliness is not a generally desirable state. According to Webster, lonely means affected with, characterized by, or causing a depressing feeling of being alone; lonesome. It doesn’t sound good, does it? Not like something we’d want to be, for sure.
But, why wouldn’t we be lonely? I can’t imagine a lonelier existence than Christ’s. He was removed from the place where he was worshiped and sent to a place where he was hated. He left the presence of his father to be beaten and killed. He traded the beauty of heaven for dusty roads and lonely nights. For us. All the losses he experienced were for our benefit.
And he wasn’t the only one to be lonely. There have been many to go through times of great loneliness in order for us to have the benefit of hearing the gospel. I would imagine that John the Baptist had quite a lonely existence when he was preaching in the desert. I’m sure Paul and Peter went through some pretty dark periods when they were imprisoned. Even the more recent people who we credit for the establishment of our present belief system like John Wesley had pretty lonely stretches in their lives.
It seems that loneliness in this life is a pretty standard thing to deal with, though in studying the life of John the Baptist (and as a lifelong introvert), I’m learning that it’s not always a bad thing. There seem to be different kinds of deserts, and one could make a case that it would do well for me to learn to identify which God has placed me into.
There is the “Desert of Testing,” according to Samuel Whitefield. This kind of desert is one that we would love to move through quickly, but God may have other plans for us. It is not for us to decide when we are through with this desert experience, it is only for us to discern what God is trying to teach us through it. These deserts seem hottest, and driest, and most unbearable. They are uncomfortable in many ways, and rightly so. For, generally, growth doesn’t come from comfort.
We see in Luke 4 where Jesus was in this kind of desert. He was in the wilderness for 40 days and he was hungry and the devil was tempting him. He endured the testing. He made it through to the other side and was better for it. And if the only reason he was in that desert was for me to know that I can also make it through my times of testing, thank God for his endurance. But I’m betting that there was some other stuff going on, too.
Mr. Whitefield also speaks of a “Desert of Communion.” There are several places in the Old Testament where it is recorded that God met Israel in the wilderness. In Hosea 2:14 it says, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness and speak comfort to her.” God is talking about calling Israel out into the wilderness to meet him there. Why wouldn’t we want to go to this kind of desert? It may be hot, and dry, and empty, but God is there!
We are blessed to have a really nice in-ground pool in our backyard. It’s beautiful. It has a fountain that we can turn on to hear water tumbling over stone back into the pool. It’s surrounded by rose bushes that (when we’ve taken care of them) produce some amazing blooms. Our backyard is awesome. But we live in Texas. I’m not sure if you’ve ever been to Texas, but it get’s awfully hot there. There are days that are so hot that not even the pool water seems enticing.
We have two kinds of oasis in our backyard. Some days, it is wonderful. The water is cool and refreshing even in the heat of the day. We can splash and play all day and not even notice the time passing. The only way we really know how long we’ve been out there is the level of contented exhaustion we encounter when we finally head in for the night. That’s when we know we’ve really enjoyed ourselves.
There are also days when the backyard teases us. We will be inside trying to stay cool, and completely unable to do so. It’s so hot everywhere that even the air conditioning just doesn’t seem to cut it. Even though the pool beckons, if we go out to try and enjoy it, the water is hot, the sun is blinding, and it is not pleasant. We end up cranky and wishing that we hadn’t even tried to go outside.
I think it’s a matter of there being two ways to look at almost anything. I’m not an eternal optimist... far from it, actually. But I’m not terribly pessimistic, either. I try and look at life with an eternal perspective that makes even a “Desert of Testing” full of possibility. Yes, there are days when I don’t want to go outside, but I’m still thankful to have something so pretty to look at as I go about my day. And the days when I can enjoy the backyard are glorious, no matter how few and far between they are. It’s the same backyard either way.
So, if I’m in a desert time, I can bemoan the fact that I’m hot and tired and gritty from the sand, or I can look around and remember that God is there with me. I can examine the circumstances and try and figure out what I can learn from this time here. And while I’m doing that, I can enjoy the fact that, even though it may seem lonely, I have God. And how often is it just me and God? Not often enough, in my book.
But, why wouldn’t we be lonely? I can’t imagine a lonelier existence than Christ’s. He was removed from the place where he was worshiped and sent to a place where he was hated. He left the presence of his father to be beaten and killed. He traded the beauty of heaven for dusty roads and lonely nights. For us. All the losses he experienced were for our benefit.
And he wasn’t the only one to be lonely. There have been many to go through times of great loneliness in order for us to have the benefit of hearing the gospel. I would imagine that John the Baptist had quite a lonely existence when he was preaching in the desert. I’m sure Paul and Peter went through some pretty dark periods when they were imprisoned. Even the more recent people who we credit for the establishment of our present belief system like John Wesley had pretty lonely stretches in their lives.
It seems that loneliness in this life is a pretty standard thing to deal with, though in studying the life of John the Baptist (and as a lifelong introvert), I’m learning that it’s not always a bad thing. There seem to be different kinds of deserts, and one could make a case that it would do well for me to learn to identify which God has placed me into.
There is the “Desert of Testing,” according to Samuel Whitefield. This kind of desert is one that we would love to move through quickly, but God may have other plans for us. It is not for us to decide when we are through with this desert experience, it is only for us to discern what God is trying to teach us through it. These deserts seem hottest, and driest, and most unbearable. They are uncomfortable in many ways, and rightly so. For, generally, growth doesn’t come from comfort.
We see in Luke 4 where Jesus was in this kind of desert. He was in the wilderness for 40 days and he was hungry and the devil was tempting him. He endured the testing. He made it through to the other side and was better for it. And if the only reason he was in that desert was for me to know that I can also make it through my times of testing, thank God for his endurance. But I’m betting that there was some other stuff going on, too.
Mr. Whitefield also speaks of a “Desert of Communion.” There are several places in the Old Testament where it is recorded that God met Israel in the wilderness. In Hosea 2:14 it says, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness and speak comfort to her.” God is talking about calling Israel out into the wilderness to meet him there. Why wouldn’t we want to go to this kind of desert? It may be hot, and dry, and empty, but God is there!
We are blessed to have a really nice in-ground pool in our backyard. It’s beautiful. It has a fountain that we can turn on to hear water tumbling over stone back into the pool. It’s surrounded by rose bushes that (when we’ve taken care of them) produce some amazing blooms. Our backyard is awesome. But we live in Texas. I’m not sure if you’ve ever been to Texas, but it get’s awfully hot there. There are days that are so hot that not even the pool water seems enticing.
We have two kinds of oasis in our backyard. Some days, it is wonderful. The water is cool and refreshing even in the heat of the day. We can splash and play all day and not even notice the time passing. The only way we really know how long we’ve been out there is the level of contented exhaustion we encounter when we finally head in for the night. That’s when we know we’ve really enjoyed ourselves.
There are also days when the backyard teases us. We will be inside trying to stay cool, and completely unable to do so. It’s so hot everywhere that even the air conditioning just doesn’t seem to cut it. Even though the pool beckons, if we go out to try and enjoy it, the water is hot, the sun is blinding, and it is not pleasant. We end up cranky and wishing that we hadn’t even tried to go outside.
I think it’s a matter of there being two ways to look at almost anything. I’m not an eternal optimist... far from it, actually. But I’m not terribly pessimistic, either. I try and look at life with an eternal perspective that makes even a “Desert of Testing” full of possibility. Yes, there are days when I don’t want to go outside, but I’m still thankful to have something so pretty to look at as I go about my day. And the days when I can enjoy the backyard are glorious, no matter how few and far between they are. It’s the same backyard either way.
So, if I’m in a desert time, I can bemoan the fact that I’m hot and tired and gritty from the sand, or I can look around and remember that God is there with me. I can examine the circumstances and try and figure out what I can learn from this time here. And while I’m doing that, I can enjoy the fact that, even though it may seem lonely, I have God. And how often is it just me and God? Not often enough, in my book.