This is for all the lonely people ....

(from guestblogger Cyndi Carter)

We’ve all seen them. And we’ve all had our turn at being one of them from time to time. The people who seem to walk alone or sit alone. The people who just don’t seem to quite fit in. Maybe a little awkward, maybe they even appear aloof and stand-offish, as if they are content to be alone. Maybe they are; maybe they are silently withering away inside. Watching as others pass them by.

Most of us here in America have busy lives. Jobs, family obligations, endless carting our children around to various “necessary” activities, meetings, the list goes on and on. We’ve filled our schedules and our children’s schedules so thoroughly that we have no time except to collapse into bed at night so we can wake up at the crack of dawn to do it all over again. We have so little unscheduled time that we are just not available to meet the God-given need for fellowship that we all have. The youth in a church we used to go to voiced how burned out they were by Wednesday: all they had the energy for on Wednesday nights was to just hang out.

Mike Yaconelli was a pastor and the founder of a ministry called Youth Specialties, which is geared to support and encourage those in youth ministry (both ordained and lay). At a talk he gave in Phoenix in 2003, he spoke the following words:

“I frankly think the way you’ll know we’re Christians in 2003 is that we’re the only group of people who have time. You need time? I got it. Wanna hangout? Great! You wanna talk? No problem. How long do you want to take? No problem. Let’s sit down and talk. That’s the church, that’s the gospel.”

Jesus, being God Incarnate, always had time for those who came in contact with Him. He met each person where they were, and ministered to their deepest needs. His priorities were to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captive and release from darkness for the prisoners. And He left us here motivated and empowered by His Holy Spirit to continue this work. Jesus also told us to love one another, to encourage one another, and to bear one another’s burdens. How can we do this if we don’t really know each other? Getting to know someone takes time, a lot of it; and letting the other person into the “zone”. A lot of what passes for fellowship is so top level and general that we part from the other person without really knowing very much about who they really are.

The man who used to pastor my parents’ church related an incident where he was faced with either making a meeting on time or talking to the roommate of one the members of his congregation who was in the hospital. He elected to be late for the meeting and talk to this man, who during the conversation made the decision to believe in the saving work of Jesus. What if the pastor had decided he should be on time for the meeting? This man’s deepest need (to be in relationship with God) might have gone by unmet.

I know there are so many things that pull at us every day, things that really need doing (truly good things) and things that happen unexpectedly. And we can’t always be “on” all the time. But what is the pattern in our lives? Is it schedules so crammed full that weeks go by without having a substantial conversation with someone else? Do we find ourselves more concerned with making our meetings than the person in front of us? Or do we find ourselves flexing our schedules to make time for other people? Are our masks up all the time, or do we take them down and share with trusted brothers and sisters in Christ what is really going on inside of us? The other sobering thought is how am I treating Jesus. If I’m too busy for people I can see face to face, am I too busy to listen to His still small voice?

As I thought about this topic, the words to “This Is For All the Lonely People” by the 1960’s/1970’s group America came to my mind. Here they are below:

This is for all the lonely people
Thinking that life has passed them by
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
And ride that highway in the sky

This is for all the single people
Thinking that love has left them dry
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
You never know until you try

Well, I'm on my way
Yes, I'm back to stay
Well, I'm on my way back home (Hit it)

This is for all the lonely people
Thinking that life has passed them by
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
And never take you down or never give you up
You never know until you try

As Mike Yaconelli said, let us be known for having time for people, and for letting them know that life and love have not passed them by. Let’s be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people He brings into our path, and shower His love over them so that they may see Him and be touched by His life.
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