It’s Not Easy, But It’s Worth It

Whether it’s diets, get-rich-quick schemes, or stain removers, we spend time and money looking for shortcuts, hoping to find the latest-and-greatest miracle elixir only to be left with a bad taste in our mouths. Seeking shortcuts is one of our shortcomings. They seldom satisfy and rarely help us reach our goals. And typically, they leave us in the same condition we started in: overweight, overdrawn, or overwhelmed.

So, if you were hoping to get to the end of this plan and get a quick fix, you won’t find one. You must do the hard work. Shortcuts won’t cut it. They’ll only sabotage your success and prolong your sorrow. And as complex as the symptoms of alone can be to manage, the remedy we require isn’t impossible to acquire. And it’s free. For you. For everyone.

From the beginning of time, we’ve complicated life by trying to build bypasses around the Divine. Even in the garden, Adam and Eve decided to play God. They followed their own plan, and we’ve followed suit. As the world has worked to erase the Creator from creation, we’ve only made things worse and multiplied the impact of alone. But we can’t afford to evade the inevitable anymore. If we’re going to beat alone, we must get back to basics.

Standing alone together has always been God’s plan for humankind. “It is not good for the man to be alone” wasn’t a prayer or a prescription God hurled into our hole as he strolled by. It was an assignment for us to follow. A mission for us to complete. And a wake-up call reminding us to walk in someone else’s shoes. Just because we can’t follow directions doesn’t make God’s plan defective.

To remove your aloneness, you must remove the aloneness of others.

Think about your life. Especially the lonely times. How would things be different if someone had taken a risk to reach out and remove your aloneness? What would have happened if someone had been relentless enough to make sure you never felt alone? The possibilities are endless when we swallow our pride, learn to listen, stand together, and work hard to put the needs of others before our own. But before you start feeling sorry for yourself and saying, “Yeah, that’s right. Someone should have done that for me!” Consider this question: how many people are wondering why you didn’t do that for them?

Lives are changed through relationships. And relationships that change lives take time. Someone needs you to inject yourself into their lives. They’re waiting to feel wanted. Needed. Valued. Above all, they want to know they matter. Simply coming alongside others can prevent lonely from taking root and becoming a prison. A pit of despair. When we choose to get our pride out of the way and make people our priority, we build bridges. Create connections. And open doors to belonging.

Become part of the empathy epidemic. Stand together. Be a hero.

Because alone doesn’t have to suck.