Alone?
Genesis 2:18a – And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone. (KJV)
From the earliest record that we have, it is plainly shown that we have been created with a need for companionship. With that need comes a responsibility to meet that need with love and compassion.
From the moment a child is born, that child craves the love and support given by its mother. The best results come when the loving mother is supported by a loving father, and together, they nurture and raise that child with love.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 – Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. (KJV)
There are few things more heart-wrenching than seeing pictures of young children who are orphans who appear to have no one to care for them.
Schoolchildren can often feel alone and succumb to bullying. I live in a large city, and unfortunately, there are too many incidents of people feeling alone.
On a Monday afternoon in April 2018, a van drove down the sidewalk opposite the residence where I live, killing ten people and injuring sixteen others. While the investigation into the driver’s motives continues, there has been speculation that he felt alone and isolated, and thus was driven to commit a terrible act.
The following Sunday evening, hundreds of people walked slowly down the street, following the path taken by the disturbed driver. I stood on my balcony, and as they passed my building, I heard hundreds of the marchers singing the words by Kristin Chenoweth, made famous by Bill Gaither:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives.
Would those innocent lives not have been killed if that young driver had not felt alone?
I am privileged to live in a beautiful residence. Many of us who live here have lost a spouse or close friend. It is interesting to observe how the majority reach out to others and gain the significant benefits of not being alone.
God designed us not to be alone. It takes effort to reach out in love to others, but we are created to lift up others. We have no better example than Jesus Himself, who reached out to others, even when He was being persecuted and dying on the cross.
Prayer: Dear Father, help us continually to strive to reach others in love. In so doing, we know that we will receive more in return than we give, and we will honour You by following the example that Jesus gave. In His name, we pray. Amen.
Vincent Walter
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
– Copyright 2018-2020 by Vince Walter and reprinted with his permission. This devotional first appeared on the PresbyCan Daily Devotional website, www.presbycan.ca
