No Longer Alone
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a sweet story about Jennifer.
Let me tell you about this young woman. I sat on the porch trying to console her, a twenty-three-year-old sitting in her wheelchair with cerebral palsy. Earlier in the day a few volunteers at our Family Retreat tried to send Jennifer to the “children’s group.” You see, with her girlish grin and short blonde hair, she looked about ten years old. People thought she was still a kid. But she was 23 years old and feeling sullen and discouraged, she cried, “Joni, I don’t have any friends. I’m so lonely.”
I couldn’t imagine the gut-wrenching emptiness Jennifer was feeling. She was the perfect example of Psalm 25, verse 16 where the Psalmist cries to God, “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am so lonely and afflicted.” It seems loneliness nowadays is epidemic, don’t you think? So many people are desperate for a touch, a warm connection with others; people are hungry to fit in and find a real friend. When it comes to loneliness, though, “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'” (Hebrews 13:5). That’s a promise from the lips of Jesus himself. He is especially near to Jennifer for Psalm 10:17 assures her: “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.” After our talk on the porch, Jennifer and I bowed our heads in prayer and asked God to fill that deep empty void in her life. I told her, “And keep praying that way, Jennifer. God is good on his promise. He will fill that emptiness.”
Three weeks later, a local center for kids with cerebral palsy called Jennifer’s home. They noticed that at one time, Jennifer had attended the center, and they were looking for mentors who could help the new young kids with CP. The next day, Jennifer was enlisted in a volunteer position at this local center for kids with disabilities. It was her job, as she told me later with a proud smile, to hang out with the younger kids in wheelchairs, and encourage them to work hard in therapy. It was also her job to go from crib to crib, pick up the little ones in diapers, and “just love on them all!” Just love them. Jennifer found the answer to her prayer and the answer to her loneliness: helping and loving others with cerebral palsy.
I am so glad Jennifer and I sought the counsel of the Lord when we prayed together on the porch that day. God says that as we cultivate an intimacy with Him, we will not only see that we’re never alone, but we will also see that we can reach out to others who are in greater need. Nothing fills the void quite like getting the focus off yourself, onto God and then on someone else in greater distress. Lonely people sometimes develop the habit of looking inward, which only breeds more loneliness. But God wants us to always be looking outward to the needs of others. Philippians 2:4-5 says, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” And friend, if anybody, Jesus was always looking outward to the needs of others. And you can too.
If you struggle with loneliness, or know someone who does, please let me send you my pamphlet called “No Longer Alone.” It’s free for the asking when you contact me at joniradio.org. Do it today, would you? Just ask for “No Longer Alone” at joniradio.org. And then find someone who’s hurting worse than you are. Pray for them and love on them, and you will no longer be alone. God bless you today and thanks for listening to Joni and Friends.
© Joni and Friends
