Loneliness: Finding Hope in Any Season
Loneliness hits hardest during certain times of the year. Maybe you’ve felt it too:
The Holiday Season (November–January): Seeing others celebrate with family and friends can intensify feelings of isolation, especially for those who have lost loved ones or are far from family.
Summer (June–August): While summer is filled with vacations and social gatherings, it can also highlight loneliness for those who feel left out or disconnected from others’ plans.
Life Transitions (Anytime): Major life changes—such as moving to a new city, retiring, experiencing a breakup, or sending kids off to college—can bring unexpected waves of loneliness.
Take Suzanne, for example. She had always loved the holiday season, but after her kids moved across the country and her husband passed away, the joy she once felt was replaced by an ache she couldn’t shake. She tried keeping busy—baking cookies, decorating, scrolling through social media—but nothing filled the emptiness. It wasn’t until she started volunteering at a local shelter that she realized something profound: the antidote to loneliness wasn’t distraction—it was connection.
Life is supposed to be filled with connection, warmth, and belonging. But for many, loneliness is an ever-present reality. And let’s be honest—loneliness isn’t just uncomfortable; it’s downright painful.
So, how do you deal with it? Better yet, how do you break free from it?
What Is Loneliness, Really?
Loneliness isn’t just being alone. Plenty of people enjoy solitude and never feel lonely. Instead, loneliness is that gnawing sense of disconnection—a gap between the relationships you have and the relationships you crave.
David Powlison nailed it when he said, “Fear and desire are two sides of the same coin. If I long to be loved, I’m terrified of rejection.” That’s the trap of loneliness: it pushes us inward when what we really need is to reach outward, toward God and others.
The Real Reason You Feel Lonely
Spoiler alert: loneliness isn’t random. It’s baked into the human experience because we were created for connection with God and others.
The problem started way back in the Garden when Adam and Eve decided they could do life without God. The result? Separation, shame, fear…and yes, loneliness. That cycle has continued ever since.
But here’s the good news: God had a plan to fix it.
The Wrong Ways to Deal with Loneliness
When loneliness hits, most people try to patch it up with distractions:
Keeping busy with endless activities
Mindlessly scrolling through social media
Binge-watching TV shows or movies
Overworking to avoid dealing with emotions
The problem? These things don’t work. They just mask the pain temporarily.
The Right Way to Deal with Loneliness
God didn’t design you to be lonely. He designed you for a deep, meaningful relationship with Him. And when you truly get that, the loneliness starts to fade.
So, here’s the game plan:
Spend time in God’s Word. Not just reading it—really letting it shape how you see God, yourself, and your circumstances.
Pray. Not just when you feel like it, but daily, like you’re having a conversation with a close friend because Jesus is your closest Friend.
Get involved in a Bible-believing church. Sermons aren’t just for Sunday mornings. Your brothers and sisters in Christ keep you connected and growing in Him.
Serve others. This is huge. Loneliness thrives when we focus inward, but shrinks when we start giving. Look for ways to serve—big or small. Even something as simple as listening to someone else can make a difference.
The Bottom Line
Loneliness isn’t something to ignore, and it’s not something to drown in distractions. It’s a signpost pointing you to what’s missing—God. And the best part? If you belong to Jesus, you are never truly alone.
So whenever loneliness creeps in, don’t get stuck in the cycle. Instead, lean into the One who made you for connection. Because when you do, you’ll find what you’ve been looking for all along.
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