Lonely for the Last Time

I stole the name for this blog from a band called Seven Places. It's title of their first album and also a title of one of their songs on that album. Here are the lyrics from that song.

Driving on the road to home, a few cars back maybe three in front.
I don't know, all I know is we are going way too slow.
The guy in front takes a left, the others follow I am left alone.
Maybe this will be the day that I'm going home.
And I feel lonely for the last time.
Walking on the road to home,
I take three steps and I fall backward five more.
I want to stop building up these walls between us.
The walls of pride, the walls of pain.
Break through these and make me whole again.
I cannot wait to be with You Lord Jesus.
And I feel lonely for the last time.
See the walls, see the walls come crashing down around us.
Now we...now we are together.
And feel lonely for the last time.


I think this song really characterizes what it means to have a desire for a close relationship with Jesus, and also, a desire to be with our Maker. It's one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands. I highly recommend Seven Places to any fans of Rock music. They are 3 kinds of cool.

So what does it mean to be lonely? Here is how the dictionary defines lonely:

lone‧ly  /ˈloʊnli/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[lohn-lee] Pronunciation Key
–adjective, -li‧er, -li‧est.

1.	affected with, characterized by, or causing a depressing feeling of being alone; lonesome.

2.	destitute of sympathetic or friendly companionship, intercourse, support, etc.: a lonely exile.

3.	lone; solitary; without company; companionless.

4.	remote from places of human habitation; desolate; unfrequented; bleak: a lonely road.

5.	standing apart; isolated: a lonely tower.

Wikipedia gives us this idea:

Loneliness is a state of feeling cut off from and longing for others, due to lack of contact (physically, emotionally, etc.) with people (whether acquaintances, friends, or loved ones). Loneliness is not to be confused with solitude (where a person may appreciate the time to think and reflect without distraction.)

What both of these definitions give us is a very similar word picture of what being lonely is. Being lonely is effectually, the state of dissatisfaction with being alone. In essence, its when you are alone, or feel alone, when you don't want to be. Being lonely is often coupled with feelings of abandonment, sorrow, and hopelessness. Sometimes loneliness is trivial, like when you home alone and none of your friends are available to do anything. Sometimes loneliness is quite serious, like if your best friend of someone you count on abandons you. Or when you feel that you have very little, if not no value in society. These are the times when loneliness can lead to depression and from there, who knows. I know people who have lost dear friends to loneliness.

The terrible thing about loneliness is that it is self-perpetuating(often) and thus does not always lead the person to action to remedy the loneliness. Rather than seeking a remedy, the person may simply drift farther from others and withdraw more and more. Or when others attempt to come along side of the person, they will reject them instead of welcoming their warm embrace. Loneliness is often a symptom of a clinical depression caused from a chemical imbalance. This is often treated with anti-depressant drugs in the form of pills. Prozac is a famous anti-depressant. These drugs work by helping to re-balance the distribution of certain chemicals in your brain, evening out your mood. The problem is that for many, they only mask a much bigger problem, the need for Jesus.

Praise our Lord and Father from whom all blessings flow. Thank God that he is the friend that sticks closer than a brother, a father to the fatherless, a friend to the lonely. For without our Lord, none of us would have hope. We would always be lonely, searching for fulfillment.

Do you ever feel lonely? Do ever feel that you are sitting by yourself in a crowded room? Do you ever feel that maybe you are so good at being alone that you don't need or want other people around? Do you ever feel that everything you do is pointless and makes no impact. Do you ever wish you could see what the world would be like if you were gone, even just for a second?

I do.

I work in an office building with 300 other people and sometimes I feel like I'm the only one here. There are days when I feel that my only purpose in life is exist. Most of the time I realize that I'm just being retarded, because there are a million people that care about me and would miss me if I were gone. Praise Jesus that he found me and gave me purpose, for without him, I would be lost forever. Without Jesus I would not have survived the recovery from my snowboarding accident.

Do you ever feel that God is calling you to do something that you really don't want to do? Like that maybe your calling in life is to be something that you are really scared to be? That maybe you are gifted in a very unique way that lets you do things that 90% of the world cannot, but it scares you more than it encourages you?

I do.