Feeling Isolated or Lonely?

When I was in my 20's over a decade ago I was a student at Youth With A Mission in Arvada, CO. I left Georgia and took my first flight across the country, on what would be one of the greatest experiences in my life to date. I started my 5 month Discipleship Training School in Jan. 1998. It was so exciting and challenging and I relished in the friendships I made. I'm an only child and so for me I felt like I was surround by people who would be like my family forever... and many have been. It was so great to have these amazing people in my life. We walked through really deep and personal heart matters together, and even conflict resolution at times. We were very close and I thought that I had finally arrived at place of friendship utopia! Ha! I finished that school in the spring and knew that I really wanted to come back to attend a leadership school called Phase 2 that fall. Almost all of my friends ended up going to Phase 2 as well. I was thrilled at the thought of another 3 months together. Well, after a few weeks I noticed that the feelings of closeness were not what they had been, almost as if something were off. I started to evaluate each friendship to see if I could pin point what had changed. We all loved each other dearly and we were still praying together, talking daily, but our worlds felt fragmented. I began to bring it up causally to see what the others thought. Many others were experiencing the same feelings. We weren't struggling with each other but it seemed like for no explainable reason and no lack of trying, we were in seasons of "isolation". I began to pray and ask God what was up with that! I went through my mental/spiritual checklist; "was I where God wanted me, was I missing something, had I offended someone without knowing?". I suddenly felt an answer swept over me in a powerfully tangible way. God spoke to my heart and said,"I'm pulling you away for a season, there's so much I want to show you and you don't need these distractions right now". I knew that was it! That's why we all felt it! We were in a new season marked by God for intimacy. I had felt this restlessness so many times in my life and rejected it. I forced myself into relationships and situations that proved to be destructive and frustrated. Sometimes they brought the crazy girl out of me... you know the crazy girl whose insecurity makes relationships messy. Now in this season of growth and maturing God had so sweetly lured me by His love and spoken His intention. It was a seasoned marked by heaven to show me the love and faithfulness of the Father. I could reject it and miss what would prove one of the most strategic seasons in my life, or I could trust God and embrace it. Thank God I had enough trust to do the latter. Okay, so why this story today? It's more obvious than ever that people are lonely, feel rejected, and social media is great at exposing the messiness we feel. In fact it's been a great tool for the enemy, our flesh and others to expose the foolishness we can sometimes let out. I want to give every lonely heart a challenge. I want to ask you to surrender to this season. I don't even feel like you have to figure out the "why's" right now. Lonely isolated times always call for time with Jesus. He is there! No matter if you feel it's a seasoned marked by God, you've behaved in a way others have given you space to grow up, you've been hurt so you are keeping your heart guarded, or it's a new season and you're establishing new roots, God is there in your quiet and there is love and wisdom to be had. He's better than a book about someone else's epiphanies (not that there's anything wrong with that sometimes). He's got something fresh, unique, and life giving just for you. If you soak up this season I promise God's supply of relationships and restoration is ample. So we can stop laboring over our emotions of rejection, and all the "who's" who aren't meeting our needs and wait for God to reveal Himself and teach us who we are to be. When we are who God is establishing, then we are irresistible! Be intentional TODAY! Love you all- Joy