Do ya feel kinda lonely?

Lots of people feel that way during the holiday season. 

From a radio survey that was taken: 45 percent of Americans dread the holidays because of loneliness and painful memories.

Sorry about that. Hate that -- you really don't have to live lonely like that (click)! Been reading some Beatles Lyrics on this. 

“Ah, look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been

Lives in a dream

Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door

Who is it for?

All the lonely people

Where do they all come from?

All the lonely people

Where do they all belong?

Father McKenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear

No one comes near

Look at him working, darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there

What does he care?

All the lonely people

Where do they all come from?

All the lonely people

Where do they all belong?

Ah, look at all the lonely people

Ah, look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name

Nobody came

Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave

No one was saved

All the lonely people..” 

~ Paul Mccartney with John Lennon

Loneliness, it’s a hollow emptiness, a feeling of isolation and disconnection. And we don’t even have to be by ourselves to experience it. We can feel lonely in a relationship, in a crowded room, even among friends.

Have you been feelin’ some of that? God had and has a solution for it. Christmas -- He sent His Son to save and help us.

“The virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.” — Matthew 1:23

God with us! Most of us have experienced loneliness in some form or another. I remember the deep sense of alone-ness that swept over me when I was driving east to Dallas to start college.. and then my VW van broke down in the desert. 

Who hasn’t felt it? 

Several people with physical disabilities have said that their greatest pain is loneliness. It is also felt by elderly parents who have been neglected by their children, and by husbands or wives who have lost their mate to another mate or to death, and by people from say a minority group who have literally been excluded from social activities. I saw that happen in my own city recently with a sweet older lady from India.

If we want to be followers of our Savior, we Christians should be reaching out to the lonely and broken people all around us. So much heartache, and pain. But we can’t be with them all the time, nor can we fully know their longing. Our presence may help, but we are never enough. Only God can meet the needs of the lonely. And here is the good news. In Jesus He has revealed Himself as “Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.”

One day G. Campbell Morgan was checking on an elderly woman who lived all alone. Before leaving her, he read, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). That’s “a great promise,” he told her. And with a twinkle in her eye she retorted, “Dr. Morgan, that’s not a promise. It’s reality!” For her, Immanuel was the ultimate cure for loneliness.  

Jesus was a single man, and He understands the full breadth of human loneliness because he himself experienced it. But he stays with us when no one else will. His love penetrates deep into our hearts so that we never feel fully alone.

Because with him, we never are.

God’s presence is the best present at Christmas time, even at your most loneliest hour.

“Your God, the Lord himself, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (GNTD)

“When they call to me, I will answer them; when they are in trouble, I will be with them.” Psalm 91:15(a) (GNTD)

“If the Lord had not helped me, I would have gone quickly to the land of silence. I said, ‘I am falling’; but your constant love, O Lord, held me up.” Psalm 94:17, 18 (GNTD)

“Do not be afraid. I will save you. I have called you by name—you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you. For I am the Lord, your God. … because you are precious to me and because I love you and give you honor, do not be afraid—I am with you!” Isaiah 43:1-5 (GNTD)

“I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (GNTD)

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18 (ESV)

“No one stood by me the first time I defended myself; all deserted me. ..But the Lord stayed with me and gave me strength.” 2 Timothy 4:16,17 (GNTD)

When I get up in the morning I am entitled to nothing really, but I am going to say THANK YOU, Lord. Just waking up today and getting started with my day was by grace that I didn't deserve. 

I think we Christians can celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas all year long. And why, Kurt? Well, because the Bible says..

"Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from Him." Jam 1:17 #cuzHeIsTotallyGood/Perfect

If God ceases to be good, people could cease to give thanks right? He doesn't ever cease to be good, so there's really no reason to ever cease giving thanks to God.

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!" esv

We can give thanks for waking up every day. Every single breath we take into our lungs is a gift. So many free gifts! Did you know you take in approximately 20,000 breaths of oxygen per day. Yes, some 7 million breaths per year. You are loved and the Holy Spirit can use you to glorify the Father today!

Did you know that there are over 2,700 verses in the Bible regarding joy, gladness, happiness, rejoicing and feasting.

"Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 106:1

"Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!" Romans 12:15-16 nlt