This is something I've been thinking about for a long time, but wasn't sure how to write about it in a way that didn't come across as me complaining about being lonely, because I feel like I do that all the time. (Though probably not as often as it feels like to me because looking over all the blog posts I've written, most of them never get published, which is why there is usually such a long time between posts!)
In the duration of church hunting, I've realized just how easy it is to lose touch with community and the body of Christ, as well as just how much they are needed. Starting in Genesis we find that man is not meant to be alone, and never, in scripture (save a few examples) do we find people who are habitually by themselves. People lived in communities for survival, both physically, and especially in the New Testament, spiritually.
I know sin penetrates everything we say/do/think/are involved with, and that includes relationships. My question is: Why? Why didn't God make people to be more able to be alone? Why can't we be solely dependent and content with Christ and His love? Why do people have to depend on other people so much when so much pain is inevitable?
Why isn't just knowing that Jesus Christ, son of the living God, Creator and sustainer of all the universe, and savior of my wretched and sinful soul enough to fill the void left by other people? Is it because I don't really understand or know God? That is an impossible feat that would take a lifetime-plus to accomplish. Or is it because He created us to need other people? The warmth of hugs from friends? The laughter at a bad joke? The knowledge of being wanted or needed by people you love? The comfort of knowing that someone has your back if things get rough?
After doing a quick Google search on verses that pertain to loneliness, I've found that most of them are taken out of context. Verses that were meant for a specific person, or people, in a specific situation, and is applied to everyone regardless of their standing/relationship with God.
I guess my question is, is the reason the Jesus Christ isn't enough because I have made something else an idol above Him, or is it because that's who I, as a human was created to be?
::Edit::
Despite the levity and the jokes in the comments below, this is something I've been thinking about for the past several weeks. Any thoughts (humorous or not) would be appreciated!
A quick, short thought: Didn't God recognize Adam was missing something and in response, God made a companion, Eve? God gave Adam a companion to meet that need he had, no? It seems to me that most of us are built to want to be in relationship with others.
ReplyDeleteWe are absolutely built to be in relationships with others, but when does the need for that relationship become an idol, or a replacement or substitution for Jesus Christ Himself?
ReplyDeleteThe moment you begin eating the apple...
ReplyDeleteBut not the kool-aid? ;)
ReplyDeleteI think part of the issue with this is that the American evangelical emphasis on a "personal relationship with God" leads some to believe that our relationship with God is (or should be) just like our relationships with other humans. I have read various articles and blog posts claiming that God doesn't like written prayers or prayers prayed the same way daily because humans don't talk to each other that way, and that we should be listening for God to talk to us with a still small voice in our hearts because it's a relationship like we humans understand relationship.
ReplyDeleteBut honestly, my relationship with Jesus is not like my relationship with other humans. He's not right in front of me like humans are. I can't see Him or touch Him or hear His audible voice. Yes, I do see Him and touch Him in the Lord's Supper and hear His voice in the Absolution, but other humans do not appear to me as bread and wine or speak using other people's voices. :)
I don't think we humans really get to a level of spirituality where "all we need is Jesus." For me personally, I have used the "Jesus should be enough" idea as an excuse to remain isolated from others. It makes me feel spiritual to think that I'm longing to be with Jesus, when all I'm really longing for is to be touched by another person and to have another person talk to me and care about me.
Can we make idols out of other people? Sure. I've certainly fallen into the trap of "if only I were married, I would be happy." The problem with this mindset is 1) I don't really know that that would be true and 2) I'm not trusting that God knows what is best for my life at *this* moment. In my envy of others I miss opportunities to develop friendships. The problem is not that "I should be content with Jesus alone" (in a sort of neo-monastic way) but "I am missing opportunities to love and serve my neighbor."
God created us to need other people because He wants us to love and care for each other. It's the reason why He didn't create us "to be more able to be alone." Being content with Jesus isn't sitting in a room by myself praying for eight hours a day. It's trusting Him enough to be involved in the lives of others. If I know He cares about me, I can be free to care about others.
I don't say any of this as someone who has it all figured out ... I still really struggle with these things. That's why I need Christ's forgiveness so much. :)
Wow, thanks for posting that! It really helps a lot! There have been so many times that I've beat myself to a pulp mentally because I thought that the fact that I felt lonely was evidence that I wasn't trusting God enough, or that I wasn't satisfied in God's love for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing!