Befriending loneliness

Loneliness – I still have it from time to time. But I’m not afraid of it anymore. I have realised that it is a threshold. Instead of running away from it, I can go towards it, welcome it, embrace it, and walk through it. When I cross the threshold of loneliness, I enter into Solitude where I am alone in a space that is not empty but full of love – God’s love.

When I find myself struggling with loneliness, I find my thoughts turning to God. It’s true – I was not meant to be alone. God made me for an other. But I was ultimately made for God – He is my true “other.” And when I struggle with loneliness, or when I find myself racing to find ways to fill the emptiness, I am reminded that my relationship with God is not yet mature enough that I am always in His presence. For when I am present to Him, I am always filled with love and joy – even in sorrow, I am at peace.

While I am still learning to remain in God’s presence without ceasing, I have found loneliness to be a good ally. For when loneliness appears, I have a threshold I can cross to enter into God’s embrace of solitude once again. I have finally learned that the ache of loneliness is actually God knocking on the door of my heart.