‘’ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’’
-John 3:16 KJV
Loneliness Isn’t Fun
I’m not sure many will agree with me but I believe that we live in very shocking times. There hasn’t been a period in the history of the world like now when we have a lot of ways to stay connected socially. But guess what? Our globally connected world and internet age are more of an irony. It seems like the more social media platforms are made available, the more real connections between us drift apart. We live in a world that houses over seven billion people, yet a shocking majority of these people are at the loneliest phases of their lives.
How does this happen? You’re probably living in a populated city or neighborhood. How many people have you noticed around you who have a true sense of care and concern? If you’re like me, you’ll choose to believe that there aren’t many real relationships in our world today. In fact, I used to believe that many internet relationships were not genuine and only based on what people could get out of the next person.
You may be thinking I’m some sort of freak or someone opposed to advances in technology. But actually, I’m not. I have a very active social media life. My Instagram account alone boasts of a couple of thousands of followers while I get tons of retweets on my Twitter handle. But at some point late last year, I began to notice something interesting. This was something I’d always known deep down that I had a problem with but I’d always pushed aside too.
I began to observe that my social platforms were pushing me to flaunt a kind of personality I didn’t have. In other words, I was living a different life online. I was under pressure to post the right pictures, with beautiful postures, creative backdrops, and stuff that showed that I had a kind of rich life. I knew deep within that this wasn’t me. The real me wasn’t as perfect as my Instagram pictures. The real me didn’t live a classy or fancy lifestyle. Do you know what was happening to me? I was desperate to please my followers. I didn’t want to post the wrong thing and then pursue any one of them away. I valued their opinions way much more than I esteemed myself. I did all these because of one simple reason. Even though I got a lot of likes, retweets, and comments, none of those were real.
The Real World is Tough
In the real world, I didn’t have any real friends. I was indeed lonely. Isn’t it funny how the loneliest of us all are the ones who camouflage our issues with a fake lifestyle? Now, it may be an entirely different case for you. You may not have a social problem like me. You may be lonely because of the loss of a loved one, a job lay-off, a breakup or divorce, a missed opportunity, or even a lack of a certain need. But I do know one thing: we may have several things that make us lonely but the end result of that loneliness is to cause us not to live our best life. I want to tell you that you do not deserve to be where you are right now. There’s so much more in stock for you. You deserve to be happy and feel the warmth and care that comes from a loved one.
When I realized that I was putting up a fake life online, I took a very long break off social media. I used the time off to recuperate and get my priorities back in order. When I got back online, I realized I could resist any temptation to post any content that did not represent the real me. This is because I have now figured out what kind of life I want to live. It is a life that is dead to the world and alive to Jesus. As Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Galatians, this life I now live as a child of God is actually Jesus living through me. Dear friend, I would like you to have the freedom that comes with this life also. It strips you of every weight, depression, fear, turmoil, low self-esteem, and doubt.
Above all, you will overcome every form of loneliness when you receive this life. This is because you’ll be introduced to several genuinely caring and loving people in God’s big family. I’ve never been this free and happy in my life as I am right now and I want you to feel the same way too. I overcame the intense loneliness I was facing and I am confident that you can do the same too.