by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
January 3
Resisting Crowded Loneliness
Luke 8:45,46
And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the multitudes are crowding and pressing upon you." But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me."
With the world's population racing toward five billion inhabitants, it may seem strange that many observers see loneliness as society's number one need. This widespread disorder has been described as being lonely in a crowd or "crowded loneliness."
Although it would seem that families are a natural antidote for loneliness, we all know they don't always work that way. In large and small families among children, and between husband and wife, individual needs for "belonging" are often ignored and loneliness looms. Here are some symptoms: declaring some topics off-limits for discussion; substituting television, small talk or silence for meaningful conversation; allowing the calendar to become too crowded for time together; the wife immersing herself in the children and the husband in his work in order to avoid intimacy; refusing to confront each other on important issues and covering them up with an attitude of "peace at any price."
Jesus lived in a tiny, crowded portion of Palestine. It was incredible that in the midst of a mob, all jostling each other, He should take note of a lonely woman's personal touch. But that's just what He did.
Your family can be just such a gathering-a place where each family member can experience both the security of togetherness and the meeting of individual needs.
One of Satan's greatest strategies is to isolate people from each other. Is his demonic strategy working in your home?
Prayer:
That God will give each family member some of Jesus' ability to overcome the threat of "crowded loneliness."
Discuss: Which path does your family seem to be on-toward greater intimacy or isolation? What schedule pressures could you adjust to give your family more opportunities for interaction?