YOU’RE NOT ALONE
Recently, I woke up with the Casting Crowns song “Oh My Soul” on repeat in my head.
I didn’t know the title and assumed it was You're Not Alone because that was the line I was hearing over and over. When I Googled it to read the full lyrics, I was amazed at how many different songs say the same thing. The results ranged from Sesame Street to Michael Jackson.
Why is that such a popular line? I believe it's because we all fight the feeling of being alone from time to time. And why do we all fight it? Because we were created to know that God is with us and for us. God has existed for all eternity in the perfect community that is the Trinity. He made us in His image, desiring and only complete with connection. It feels wrong to feel all alone, because it is wrong!
At the same time, we have an enemy whose favorite tactic is to isolate us and make us feel this way. How often do we hear (or say) that no one would understand? We all have this secret fear that if people really knew the truth about us, we'd be rejected. But that just leads to isolating ourselves further and feeling even more alone. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
This attack makes me think of nature films where a predator tries to get one animal away from the pack. No matter how ferocious the attacker is, they seem to know they don't stand a chance against the whole herd. We've all watched the scene play out: the lions or hyenas looking for a straggler, cutting them off from the rest and chasing them down. Occasionally, we've seen all the others come to rescue the one and our spirit cheers! That's probably because we identify with the one who's about to be dinner!
"You're not alone," is a beautiful thing for us to tell each other. It's also a beautiful thing to live out, by demonstrating to each other through unflagging love and care, that they can't lose us. I am so thankful for friends who have stepped up over and over again to remind me in my darkest times that I didn’t walk alone.
I entered the world of Facebook in the summer of 2009. It was so fun to reconnect with people that I had grown up with. Suddenly I was chatting with folks from my hometown, where I hadn’t lived for more than ten years. Many of them had known me my whole life. I loved posting pictures to introduce them to my family. We had recently given birth to our sixth child, Jeremiah, and I remember sharing my favorite photo of my kids with them all gathered around the newest addition.
A couple months later I would choose to post the unbelievable news that Jeremiah had already left us for Heaven. It felt a little inappropriate to share on (what had up till then been) just a fun place on the internet. But I didn’t know any other way to let these special people know.
It’s often been said that no parent should have to bury a child. I’ve done it twice and it mostly certainly feels wrong. But one of the rays of lights that pierced those dark gloomy days was when we went to the memorial and found a bouquet that had been sent from that dear congregation that had watched me grow up. I was blessed with a wonderful current church family, but that message of love from where I grew up and got married was incredibly sweet.
In many ways for many days the family of God showered us with love and care. We were reminded that we were surrounded by those who were praying for us and were bearing the burden of grief with us.
But even with the most tenderly attentive friends and family there will be days when you still feel alone. What then?
The valleys of this life are deep and dark and twisty and it's so hard to see (or even imagine) light and life and laughter when you feel lost at the bottom of a canyon.
But God.... Some of my favorite verses include those two words! Over and over the Bible speaks of pain and hardship and then says, "but God" and everything turns around. Hope returns, ashes become beautiful, laughter feels possible.
Ultimately, it's God that our souls are longing for, what they were designed for. St Augustine of Hippo said it this way, "Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee." God is our True Home. The Safe Place where we can never be lost or alone, our ultimate and eternal Hope.
Want an encouraging Bible study? Here’s a list to get you started. Some "But God" verses all in the book of Psalms:
Psalm 9:18, 10:14, 49:15, 66:19, 73:26, 74:12, 86:15, 94:22