Saturday, April 26, 2014

Lonely People

On this Five Minute Friday (somewhere...it's early Saturday morning), I saw the writing prompt , "Friend" on Lisa Jo Baker's Five Minute Friday and took this this little piece I had written last November and spent my "five minutes" polishing it up a bit and thought I'd share it below:
http://lisajobaker.com/five-minute-friday/

Lonely People

I have decided that the loneliest people are people who want to be.


Yes.  That’s right. They have no friends, no one cares about them, thinks about them or ..... the list goes on and on....all because they choose to believe that for themselves.


A man who hath friends must shew himself friendly*.  Loneliness comes from one not reaching out....from hiding oneself.  Oh it’s easy to fall into the prideful trap of “no one cares about me”, “if I try, they will just say no” and the thoughts spiral and swirl and crush....


But this is not the truth and we were meant to live and walk and breathe the truth!  Hold onto it, breathe it, live it.  “Show yourself....”  Be seen.  Be there.  Speak, laugh, love, give, help, listen....BE the person you want to have as a friend.  Yes, you will give and give and give and some days you will feel like you never get back a tenth of what you have given, but give anyway.  


A friend sticketh closer than a brother*..who is He?

 Jesus.  

Yes, He truly is the friend that never leaves, never forsakes, is always patient, always listening, always there to help in time of need.  

Do not idolize friendship. I have done this for too many years.  Yes, the Hallmark cards, facebook posts, books and TV would have you believe differently...that there is a friend who sticks closer than Christ...but it’s simply not true. Friends will disappoint. Friends will sin against you (and not ask for forgiveness).  Friends will think of themselves and not you first. Friends will.... you fill in the blank. Because, friends are human.  And so are you. But you can choose to not be lonely. It’s your choice. Do you want to be the loneliest person?  For it really is your choice.  Show yourself....be there. Be human. Make mistakes and say you are sorry and if they accept it and trust you, Great! And, if not...keeping being, keep loving, keep showing yourself friendly.  He is there. Always faithful. All forgiving. He calls you Friend. And knowing and trusting this means you are never alone.


John 15:13–15, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."

*Proverbs 18:24



3 comments:

  1. Wise words, Angela. They may be hard to hear for some, but we all face rejection in one form or another and soon learn that other people are just as human, weak and fallible as we are.
    But.. we have Jesus.. just as you said. And His faithful, loving, giving, reliable friendship makes all the difference in the world. Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. Blessings :)

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  2. So glad to have HIM as my true friend!!

    Dropping by from FMF!!

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  3. So good! And great verses to anchor your point. I hadn't ever really thought it quite like that...the loneliest people choosing it...very thoughts provoking followed up by point to Jesus. Love it :)

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