“One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.”
Recently I had a patient who reminded me of these words sung by the band Three Dog Night many years ago. As he described his day, I could almost feel the loneliness emanating from him. Divorced, living alone, with only his cat for companionship, he woke alone, ate alone, spent his days alone, and fell asleep alone. Only at work did he have companionship and that did little to fill the void.
The truth is he is not alone, for far too many share his fate. Far too many of us have no one to talk to, no one to confide in, no one to hold. In a world where social media keeps us constantly connected, never have so many felt so alone.
We see the negative effects of this epidemic of loneliness all around us. Depression, anxiety, addiction, suicide, violence, are often a direct result of feeling alone, of not being understood, of feeling isolated, even in the midst of a crowd.
Yet as Christians we know loneliness is just an illusion, because, in truth, we are never alone. We have a Heavenly Father who loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). He promises, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5).
Still, it can be hard for a person to relate to a God they cannot see, especially when all they really want is a flesh-and-blood hand to hold. That is where we, we who call ourselves Christians, come in. We must be the hands of Christ held out to our fellowmen, His arms to hold the brokenhearted, the lonely, and afraid.
Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10 reminds us, “Two are better than one…If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” This coming week, why not look for someone who needs you to be their number two, to be there when they fall and help them get back up? The great thing is, when you become someone’s number two, they’ll be your number two too! Then neither of you will be just one!
One truly is “the loneliest number”. This Sabbath, let’s let the lonely know they are not alone, give the despairing a reason for hope, and show the unlovely they are loved. Let’s not just talk about God’s love. Let’s be that love in action. Let’s be someone’s number two!