The holidays often are a very lonely season. At one time or another, we’ve all experienced the pain of broken relationships, loved ones living far away, recently deceased spouses or pets, or an overall lack of community.
This time of year, the pain of loneliness is compounded by the avalanche of social media posts depicting the wonderful times our friends are enjoying with their families. It’s easy to feel we’re the only one in the world who’s feeling lonely—a feeling that’s clearly ludicrous.
If you’re experiencing a lonely holiday season this year, I have some encouraging news—a message that might help you gain a new perspective on your situation.
It started a few days ago, when I was listening to the NIV audio Bible in my car. I happened to come across this extraordinary verse in Luke 5:16:
“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed”
Wow. Jesus intentionally sought out “lonely places”—and He did so often. Though He often was surrounded by crowds of people, the Savior knew He needed periodic times of solitude in order to maintain a focus on His mission.
In contrast, I sometimes prefer solitude simply because I’m fed up with people and in an antisocial mood. But the solitude Jesus pursued was purposeful. He wanted to be free of distractions so He could hear the Father’s heartbeat.
That brings me to one of my favorite things about this time of year: As we head into the new year, it’s a great time to do some prayerful journaling to assess our life. Did we hit God’s targets for our life this past year? Has He given us a fresh vision of what our priorities should be in the year ahead?
You see, the lonely places don’t have to be a downer. They can provide fantastic benefits if we quit complaining and grasp the opportunity for renewal and refocusing.
Turning MINUSES into PLUSES
As I pondered what God wants to do for us in the lonely places, He gave me an amazing illustration…
While Jesus intentionally sought out lonely places, often we’re there against our will. This is inevitably a negative experience, usually prompting lots of self-pity. We can picture this by a MINUS sign, representing feelings of negativity or a sense of loss:
At one time or another, we’ve all encountered this “minus” sign. It’s an unavoidable part of the human experience.
However, today I received a new revelation! There’s only ONE thing necessary to turn the MINUS sign into a PLUS sign: a VERTICAL LINE!
Do you see how profound this is? In the lonely places of life, we typically experience plenty of MINUS feelings, but everything changes when the vertical line is added. The vertical line represents prayer, our relationship with God. When that is added to our MINUS sign, our lonely places are transformed into a PLUS! No wonder Jesus was so passionate about having undistracted time with the Father.
And that’s not all. Notice that the MINUS sign not only is changed into a PLUS, but it is also changed into a CROSS. When Jesus died on the cross, He broke the curse over humanity and enabled us to receive God’s forgiveness and blessings instead.
Personal Application
This holiday season, perhaps you find yourself in a lonely place. Instead of being surrounded by love, joy, and peace, it seems you’re encased in minus signs.
Friend, you are not the only one dealing with this! Although I’m not able to change your circumstances to take away the pain of loneliness, at least I can encourage you not to waste your lonely place today.
You see, this lonely place is an opportunity to strengthen your vertical line—your connection with God. He can turn your minuses into plusses and give you a new sense of vitality and purpose for the new year.
People may seem distant, but the Lord is only a prayer away!
