Fighting LonelinessSample

The Guy Beside You

One thing that drives me nuts is when someone calls me out on something concerning my character, and they are right.

Recently, I was talking to my wife about feeling lonely, and of course, I had a list of reasons to justify why I felt this way.

“This person didn’t say hi when…”

“That guy never texts…”

“I just wish someone would reach out to me…”

In her beautiful way, she looked at me and simply said, “Well, are you reaching out to them?”

Ouch, but point taken.

A lot of men love a great war movie. Where the men are surrounded by the enemy, trapped everywhere they look, and all they care about is the guy beside them. Where they know that their best chance of getting out alive is to care for the next guy instead of themselves. The movies that have scenes where they won’t leave without their buddy and even put themselves in harm’s way to get him to safety.

We watch that movie and admire their courage under fire and their great commitment to each other.

What if we approached our loneliness this way?

What if we combined what Jesus says about loving our neighbor with the idea of being in the battle with the other guy who also wants to get out alive? What could that look like?

Instead of waiting for a call, it would be us dialing the number.

Instead of waiting for a text, it would be us taking a few seconds to send one.

Instead of waiting for an invite, it would be us initiating the idea of going for wings or watching the game together.

And from there, who knows what can happen? But, just maybe, you might find the other guy in the trench and realize you are not alone after all.

Jesus felt so strongly about our relationships that when asked about the greatest commandment, He connected two: Love God and love others.

Then He says that if we can figure out how to do that, “(we)are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34 NIV).

And there is no better place to be.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for caring about me. Help me care about others in the way I would like them to care about me. Amen.

Reflection: Think about one “neighbor” you could reach out to this week. Take the initiative and connect with them.