Loneliness can be Cured

Loneliness is like a virus, it takes over your entire being and leaves you helpless, hopeless and stalls any forward progress in your life. Loneliness can happen to anyone and probably happens regularly to more people than are willing to admit it. For the Pastor, this little demon is ever present and can be very disruptive. According to a phone poll of Pastors that was conducted by LifeWay Research…

• A full 98% agree with the statement, 'I feel privileged to be a pastor," with 93% strongly agreeing.  Only about .5% of pastors actually disagree with this statement.


• More than half (55%) also agree with the statement, "I find that it is easy to get discouraged,"  and 55% say being in pastoral ministry makes them feel lonely.

Pastors know this first hand because we have to spend time alone in order to be of any use to other people, it is part of our calling.  Seth Godin wrote a wonderful blog post on the epidemic of loneliness.  Godin wrote, 'The next time you feel lonely, disconnected or unappreciated, consider that unlike many other maladies, this one hits everyone.  And unlike other challenges, this one is easily overcome by realizing that you can cure the problem by connecting, appreciating and leading.'  His post was very short, however after I read it I had one of those 'aha' moments.

People do need me, and I need to know this. The work I do, although most of society will not embrace is very important, a core necessity for others. My take-away…connect today with someone who values what I do…so I called a church member I had not visited with in some time, I wrote an email thanking someone for a contribution they had done, and I called into my coach for some help developing leadership ideas.

All of the sudden being alone is not so frightening or draining, but is becoming a place where I can do the work I have been called to do. It is as if I have been given a new space in being alone that is safe.

I realized that loneliness is a virus that can be cured by action and engagement and loneliness is something I can eliminate if I want. This is a game changer.