You don't have to be lonely

"We have a choice to make."

By Robert A. Johnson

Someone living alone for the first time in many years once said, "I sat there looking at four walls, and you don't get much communication with four walls." He felt alone and wondered what he could do about it. Loneliness probably attacks most people at one time or another, sometimes in unexpected ways. I recall a small incident in my own life when a meeting I had chaired came to a close and I was left alone to put room back into shape. The meeting had gone well, and there wasn't much to do, but I felt totally deserted when the thirty or so people who had been present all left.

The way out of loneliness is what matters, though, and that is to accept and understand the fact that God is our Father-Mother, our heavenly Parent. His love embraces and fills the entire universe. He never deserts us. Even when we don't think we feel His presence, He is there.

We have a choice to make. We can either keep our thoughts focused on God and be grateful for His abundant blessings, or we can let the darkness of loneliness take over. The more we think of God and His infinite and impartial goodness, the sooner we'll find ourselves engaged in the joy of loving our fellow citizens—and loneliness will have been left behind. Loving God and our fellowman makes us more receptive to the great wonders God has for us.