Loneliness 3: I don’t deserve this

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Loneliness is common, let's get that straight. It is not a special problem for the pitiful few, it shows no partiality or favors when it considers whom to haunt. But does anyone really deserve to be lonely? Dan Haseltine the lead singer for Jars of Clay offered an interesting view in a recent article on relationships. He wrote:

What we deserve is to be lonely, what we deserve is to be isolated from the one who loves us better thatn anyone else. What we deserve is to never be pushed forward, to never deepen in our wisdom and experience of love and community. What we deserve is to die a dark and disconnected fate. And if we are going to apply the rules of culture today, the only one to blame for not getting what we deserve is Jesus. (Relevant Magazine, July_August 2005, Longevity, Dan Haseltine, p. 50.)

Did you get that? If not read it again. Let's be honest, we are naturally like Adam. And for that rebellion we deserve loneliness, relating to God and others. And God's judgment was separation from Him, at Eden, and from one another, at Babel. Yet despite our deserved separation, God through Christ has extended his hand towards us. By sacrificing his Son, He has paved the way across the chasm of separation. God's act of redemption, restores us from our lonely state caused by our sinfulness, so that we can live in true companionship with our creator and with others. That is reconciliation. God through Jesus, reconciling us to himself and then empowering us to reconcile with each other. Loneliness at its root is a spiritual problem brought on by our sin.

Do you feel entitled to certain things (friends, a spouse, respect from others) because you think you are good? Reconsider what you truly deserve and how Jesus has given you the opposite.