Lately, I’ve been struggling with inner loneliness.
This overwhelming loneliness caught me by surprise because I am actually never alone. I mean, hardly ever. My job requires me to constantly interact with people all day. I am always on the go doing this and that. Meetings after meetings. But even when I am surrounded by people, I still get this sentiment of isolation and loneliness. I have all these thoughts and emotions with nowhere to put them. I feel myself fade in the background, and everyone seems so distant. And as a result, I feel like an island so far away and it feels like no one can relate.
The other day, I made a trip to the bookstore to look for some new reads. I was in the poetry book section, I couldn’t find anything appealing. Then when I went to put a book back, one dropped and hit me right on my face. I was pissed, I said “what the f#$%”, I leaned over to pick it up and it was a hardcover book with the picture of a pink rose on the front, the book title is “Poems of Joy” from the Salesian Collection. I started to flip through some pages and came across one particular poem that caught my attention.
I can move any mountain
With God by my side
I can weather the storm
And drift with the tide
I can hold out my hand
For his hand is in mine
I am never alone
He’s there all the time
-Helen Parker
This poem spoke volumes to me and it was exactly what I needed to read at that exact moment. I bought the book without hesitation and spent all night reading it. Then all of the sudden the feeling of loneliness did not seem to be so overpowering.
All the roads we’ve traveled and paths we’ve crossed, there will be days we wake up feeling all alone.
Sometimes we feel so alone that we look around and wonder how we’ve gotten here–what streets we should have ventured down, turns we should have taken, what turns we should have made or shortcuts we should have avoided.
This is the second part of the poem;
Friend you can move mountains
With God by your side
You can weather the storm
And drift the tide
You can hold your hand
For his hand is in yours
You are never alone
For he is your source
-Helen Parker
The truth is we are never alone. It may seem like you are alone, but it is at these times that you must choose to believe that God is there. Even if you may not be aware of his presence, he most certainly is with you; not just in a nebulous, roundabout way, but literally. God indwells your mind and experiences your life with you every minute of the day.
You are never alone because God is always on your side.
Every one of us has felt alone at some point in our lives. The journey in life is full of ups and downs and pains and struggles, but the destination is worth it in the end. And while we find our way through dark roads and rocky paths, we must find comfort in knowing that we never walk alone. The harder the days get, the more he moves towards us. Sometimes it feels like God is backing away from us when we are going through a tough time but that’s not true.
We must have faith, and God acts in mysterious ways. You may not get a sign that hits you right in the face like I did, but he is always watching, he is always listening. God is everywhere, and we are blessed in so many ways, we just must open our eyes to realize it.
We live in a chaotic and uncertain world. Events confront us that can make us question everything. We never know what will happen next or what challenges are awaiting us. Even when life seems out of control, I can be sure of this…God has a plan and a purpose for me, and he will be right beside me along the way.
I know, I’m never alone because God is always by my side.
I’m not alone; I never was. I’ll never be, and all because God knows the shape of my heart; God sees. God hears my prayers; He’s here with me.
Whatever comes my way, he will always be there.
No matter who may fail me, he’ll never be untrue.
He’s close to me, and never far away.
With God, I’ll never be alone.