Satan Isolates, the Lord Unites part 1 of 2

America’s Loneliness Epidemic: How Should We Respond?

• Michael Lee Stallard ConnectionCulture.com

America and other democracies around the world are experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. This diagnosis stems from research studies that found loneliness (feeling alone) and social isolation (not being around people) were both associated with a risk of early death that is on par with that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day and exceeds the risk of early death from obesity. In May, the insurance company Cigna affirmed that loneliness in America has reached epidemic levels, based on its research findings from a survey of more than 20,000 American adults.

This should be of concern for all of us, regardless of how we are feeling personally, because loneliness triggers a host of negative effects, including a decline in physical and emotional health, greater incivility and violence, and a rise in addiction and suicide.

 Satan Isolates, the Lord Unites
I’ve come to see that while Satan and the forces of evil isolate people in order to weaken and destroy them, the Lord Jesus Christ connects and unites people through His love and grace. While, of course, it is important for us to spend time alone with the Lord, that is not the same as loneliness or social isolation. As one pastor I know says, “There are no lone rangers in the Kingdom of God.” Collectively, we are the body of Christ, uniquely gifted and called, but a body meant to be connected in mind and Spirit.

My personal favorite passage in Scripture on connection is Jesus’ glorious prayer recorded in John 17 in which He prays for all believers to be connected to Him, to God the Father and to each other. Genesis says that we were made in the plural “Our image” (Genesis 1:26) and that it is not good for us to be alone (Genesis 2:18). Psalm 68:5-6 describesGod’s desire for us not to be lonely by describing God as a “father to the fatherless” who “sets the lonely in families.”

We are also entreated to be connected to the wider community as well. I think of Jesus’ conversation with a man identified as a lawyer about the second greatest commandment of loving “your neighbor as yourself” and the Parable of the Good Samaritan that he told to illustrate who our “neighbor” is [see Luke 10:25-37].

What Each of Us Can Do

Day-to-day, what does the loneliness epidemic mean for us? God has empowered us with the Holy Spirit to reach out to the many people around us who are suffering from loneliness and show them God’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, all of which together act to ease the pain and heal the brokenness that arises from loneliness.
Here are four “circles of influence” in which God may be calling you to make a difference and simple actions you might take to be a connector in each: