loneliness take 2

i've written a blog post on loneliness before (check it out here) but it's been a few months since then so i thought i would touch on the subject again.

i found a quote recently on the topic of loneliness that i absolutely love. i think it's because it was able to put into words how i've been feeling. Plus it's a relief to know that i'm not the only one who has explored this aspect of loneliness.

"Loneliness isn't about other people, it's an inner condition. Solitude trains us in being present with ourselves and God so that we actually show up in real relationships with other people." - Bill Dogterom

An "inner condition" is an amazingly abstract way of describing loneliness. Usually when people think of loneliness they think of it in regards of not being around other people or not being able to connect with other people. i think that both of these definitions can be true of loneliness, but i don't think that they do a good enough job of describing the different facets of the word. i think that God can use loneliness to challenge us in being present with ourselves and with Him, as Bill describes in his quote. i think that loneliness - as with many things - can be intended for evil but used for good by God.

If you're feeling lonely, i challenge you to not take the feeling sitting down. i challenge you to use it to push you to "show up in real relationships." To use the feeling to dive deeper into solidifying thoughts about faith and God's heart for His world.