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In this episode Richelle Hecker and Pastor Doug Brauner talk about loneliness, especially as it relates to the Christian community. How is it that Christians can feel lonely even when they’re surrounded by other believers?
Blog: “One Is the Loneliest Number”
Other Blogs:
The Loneliness of the Christian – A. W. Tozer
The Apostles’ Creed Part 8: The Cure for Loneliness
Scripture:
What are you looking at when you walk down the hallway? I’ve often caught myself looking at the floor. When I look at the floor my shoulders sag which leads to my neck hurting which then affects my back.
Many of us have this same habit of looking at the ground when we walk, and we might not even be aware of it, nor do why know why we’re staring at the floor. Could it be saying something about what’s happening in our lives?
We’re hunched over with grief, depression, and anxiety. It’s difficult to lift our eyes. There are days when we must make a conscious decision to throw our heads and shoulders back and look up as we walk.
The pilgrims making their journey to Jerusalem to celebrate Jewish festivals had something to look up at. As they ascended the road to Jerusalem, the splendor of the temple was displayed before them. Those who made this journey for the first time might have never seen a sight as magnificent as the temple in Jerusalem. Their eyes were drawn upward and their spirits were lifted in praise.
God in Christ gives us a reason to lift our heads. He wipes away our tears. He pulls us out of our despondency. He calms our restlessness. All this he does as we lift up our eyes and look, not at a magnificent building, but at a blood stained cross.
As a result of looking up at Jesus, crucified and resurrected, our lives are more erect. Life looks different when we look up at Jesus.
Copyright Douglas P Brauner
The angle of this window affects the view of the landscape behind it. Square the window or move it to the left the perspective of the deteriorated shed and the mountains changes. The clouds would seem slightly different. Would this be a monumental change to the picture? No, but we would see something slightly different.
Think of your life as the frame around this mountain view.
You are shaped by your experiences and see the world through those experiences, even though you’re probably not aware of this dynamic. The joys, the scars, and the mundane experiences of your life have a way of shaping your perspective of life and your perspective of what God is doing in your life.
In yesterday’s blog I wrote about the enduring word of God. We are transient but God’s word last forever. Like the mountains in the background, God’s word remains long after we’re gone. However, the events of life have a way of affecting how we see this eternal word of God.
Yet, the word of God never changes. The position of the window does not affect the mountains, just how we see those mountains. So also, God’s word is not affected by the window through which we see that word.
Since the God’s word doesn’t change it has a way of changing our perspective. In other words, the view shapes the window. That’s where this picture differs from our lives. The mountains will never square the window, yet the eternal word of God will change our perspective. The word of forgiveness, the word of comfort, and the word of hope will change our lives.
That’s the promise of Isaiah. God’s word will accomplish everything he wants it do in our lives.
Copyright Douglas P Brauner