Never Alone: Unpack Loneliness and Revitalize Your HeartSample

Devotional

Welcome back, friend! As we continue our navigation of understanding loneliness, I thought it would be important to understand the different kinds of loneliness you can experience.

Situational

Situational loneliness is exactly what it says and revolves around environmental factors. Examples include interpersonal conflicts, disasters, or migration (for us, this is a fancy word for moving, something we are deeply familiar with). Sadly, we’ll probably all sit in this type of loneliness for a time or two or five. Situational can also equate to life stressors, something almost entirely unavoidable but more easily treatable.

Emotional

As human beings, we thrive on close emotional attachments. When missing, it can lead to loneliness, which can spiral into a myriad of mental illness symptoms. This can accompany the loss of someone close to you who you had previously confided in and shared attachment with. Think about things like broken friendships, lost connections due to frequent moves, the death of a loved one, or any other force coming between you and a close attachment. It causes emotional weight like no other.

Social

Isolation and a lack of community support are detrimental. Emotional and social loneliness go hand in hand, each wreaking havoc on your health. This kind of loneliness will arise when there is no sense of belonging or feeling valued. As creatures of God who were intended to thrive in families, groups, or communities, missing support and connection socially is perhaps the most harmful. In this type of loneliness, we will see isolation and declining health, and it is a road that takes a lot of work to find your way back home.

On the first day, we journeyed through the first 14 verses of Ruth. The action takes place during a period when the judges ruled the people of Israel. At this time, the nation did not have a king, so the judges’ duties were basically to govern under God’s direction: drive out their enemies, lead the people in God’s law, and so on. We see Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, move her and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, from Judah to Moab because of the ongoing famine. They both marry Moabite (pagan) women. Then, her husband and two sons die. Lonely.

Not long after, she decides to return home with her daughters-in-law. But shortly into the journey, Naomi tells them to return to their families. We’re witnessing both lovingkindness in action and, most likely, Naomi falling deeper into the pit of loneliness, pushing all she has left away.

Proverbs 3:5 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Are you pushing away? Don’t.