It's amazing to see how God works through my life; how people come and go in a day, a season or are with me for a lifetime. If I look back over my life yes, I have had some major difficulties and some minor ones just like everyone else I know. But somehow, it seems, there was always someone in my life that helped me to get through it. Most of the time we drifted away over time, that's a normal part of life too, but by then either a situation was resolved or the coping part had been allayed to some degree. It was time for both of us to move on.
Just as I've always had people in the right place at the right time, I'm very often compelled to step into someone's life. I have to smile when I think about it because I know it isn't just me. I know that it is God telling me to do it and working through me.
Even so, even with the right people in your life, your family and your loved ones, life can be lonely. You can feel utterly and completely abandoned and you feel like the weight of the world is crushing you. A few people, notable ones at that, have felt that isolation, Dorothy Day and Mother Teresa of Calcutta spring to mind. Both of them were so moved by it, they wrote books about it.
Though they had very different upbringings and styles of life, they ultimately led lives in servitude over the course of their lifetimes (Dorothy Day lived from 1897 to 1980. Mother Teresa from 1910 to 1997). They both chose to work with the poorest of the poor. They both accomplished so much in their lives of doing for others and changing lives. Even at their darkest moments, I know that they got up out of bed every day, pushed their feelings of solitude aside, and marched into their day with a spring in their step and a legion of angels surrounding them. Now I'm not only talking about their guardian angels, I'm talking about the humans that worked closely with them ~ Peter Maurin that worked with Ms. Day and of course the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity order that worked with Mother Teresa. God called them ALL to do his work. God calls all of US to do his work.
Here's my take on isolation. Just as God brings people into our lives, and brings us into theirs, I think he brings isolation into our lives to bring us closer to Him. It is at our lowest point that we reach out to Him. It is when the noise around us disappears and we feel alone that we are more prone to hear Him. We are the ones that push Him away. We are the ones that don't seem to ever have time to say thank you for all of our blessings. We are the ones that only pay attention to Him when everything else falls apart. But here's the thing, He is WITH US ALWAYS. He is in us and we are in Him. We are all one body. Have you ever heard of the silver cord? The first time I ever heard about it was when my Mom was on her deathbed. She told me that she could see a silver cord that connected me to her, and to every living thing on the earth and that the cord connected us all to God. Ramblings of a dying woman? I thought so too until I did some research on it and found that it is mentioned in the Bible. The cord is broken once any living creature leaves the earth. I'm sure you are thinking at this point, what in God's name does this woman's ramblings have to do with isolation? Well here's your answer ~ You are NEVER alone. God is with you every step of the way. Jesus Christ is a part of you, and you are a part of Him. Loneliness and isolation is a call from God to listen to His word and to become more contemplative in your life. Now I'm not telling you to become a hermit, very few are called to that life. Take advantage of your down time. If you are feeling abandoned reach out to God. Open your hearts and minds and listen to what he has to say. Recite the Our Father, the Rosary, the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Ask St. Michael to protect you and to chase away your demons (self-doubt, hatred, sorrow and even addictions). Visit a perpetual adoration chapel in your area. Open your Bible. I can't even begin to tell you how many life lessons are in there. The book of Sirach is filled with gems.
God is always with you. He is a part of you. You just aren't listening to Him. It's a one-way conversation when it should be a two-way conversation. They didn't realize it at the time but both Dorothy and Mother did hear Him. It was at their times of loneliness that they reached out to Him and He answered them by giving them the strength to persevere in their times of despair. Their response was obvious by their unending devotion to Him and His work through them. Though they may have had difficulty seeing it, it is pretty obvious to me that they both had a oneness with God and a dialogue.
May we all have a little less noise around us and more isolation so that we can all grow in spirit and in Oneness with God.
Peace & Love,
Mare
P.S. This post addresses occasional feelings of loneliness and not episodes of clinical depression and other forms of mental illness. Please seek medical assistance for ongoing symptoms.
