loneliness

I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about the issue of loneliness. I often find myself feeling lonely these days- being in a relatively new place (back in Wheaton after a 3 year hiatus), trying to rekindle old friendships and build new ones, lacking a job and thus having much alone time, etc. I miss friends in other places, especially in Minnesota, and wonder if I would be less lonely there. But what my friend helped me to remember is that loneliness isn't in and of itself a terrible thing. Because it points us to that which we are longing for, which is ultimately God. Thus my new prayer has been not only that God would fill my life with healthy Christian community, but also that He would fill my loneliness with more of His presence in my life. Loneliness will always be a part of life, because no matter how many people we have in our life, or how deep and satisfying our relationships are, our deepest longing is for face to face communion with God, which we can only get tastes of in this life. So let it be a reminder to seek more of Him and let Him envelop Your life more and more.