Dear Lonely Soul, This One’s For You
In May 2023, the United States Surgeon General issued an alarm: Americans are facing an epidemic of loneliness. On average, on any given day, 1 in 5 people in the United States feels distress because of loneliness. The effects of loneliness are so severe, he said, that its mortality impact is similar to that of smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day. His research on the subject distinguished between social isolation and loneliness, finding that many, many people report loneliness even though they are “surrounded” by others.
I’m betting you’ve been there. I’m betting there are days you feel lonely at work, among your roommates, with your own spouse and children. Or at a party. Or at church. I am so very, very sorry. If I was sitting there with you, whoever you are, reading this piece of my heart, I would reach out to take your hand and tell you I see you. But since you are there, and I am here, I will give you something better than my feeble attempts at human comfort.
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.“While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.” —Luke 22:39-53
Dear Soul, can you see Him? Bent to the ground in dread and anguish. Crying for a way out. He knows He is entering complete loneliness. He will take this undeserved, torturous punishment in complete separation from the Father and Spirit He has loved for eternity. In an attempt for community, He’s brought friends along, but they aren’t really present for him. He’s asked for their prayers; He’s found them asleep. Worse yet, He knows in just a few more minutes they will physically run away and abandon Him.
Judas will hand Him over with a kiss, and the loneliness of betrayal will be added to His pain. A once-friend now coldly, deliberately turning away.
Dear Soul, do you know why He walked in? Because He wanted to bring us all out of it.
I think about Malchus, that servant whose ear He healed in the Garden. History doesn’t tell us what happened to Malchus after this healing, but I can’t help but wonder if it didn’t make all the difference in his life. He is mentioned in all four gospels for this event. Maybe he found the community of believers after this. The apostle John knew his name, after all. This is what Jesus does—He reaches out to the lonely and says, “I see you; I see what hurts. I know you by name. I can heal you. Come out of this darkness with me.”
I know the loneliness can feel so dark. It can be so overwhelming. Please know while the feeling may be strong, the truth is you are not alone. Yes, there are things that we as humans have to face that no human can fully face with us. Yes, the middle of a crowd can feel so isolating. Yes, sometimes we, like Jesus, are scorned, betrayed, abandoned. Even those of us who want to be beacons of love and light fail miserably and leave people lonely.
But the Father is always right here. Jesus is always right here. The Spirit is always right here. Jesus cleared the way so that no sin, no enemy, no spiritual force could come between you and your God. He loves you with an accepting, including, comforting love you cannot exhaust. It’s right there in Gethsemane.
Also, my offer of a hand reaching out still stands.
