Loneliness: The Forgotten Pandemic

By Tony Rangel

Have you ever walked into a room full of people, and you know at least twenty of them, but you still feel alone and isolated?

Do you have many friends, but nobody you can really talk to?

Lots of family, but not one of them knows what’s really going on?

The devil loves to use the old tactic, divide and conquer.

One of his favorite weapons is isolation: making you feel lonely, solitary, like you haven’t got a friend or relation in the world who really cares or understands.

Then COVID came in and turned perceived loneliness into actual physical isolation – dividing support groups, classmates, churches, and even families; claiming friends and family members.

Kids retreated into their devices and social media like never before – and still, they feel alone.

Many haven’t climbed back out of that black hole of loneliness. They are stuck, as the enemy still whispers in their ear that nobody cares; that the whole world has forgotten them and doesn’t want them or need them; that they are worthless; that there is no hope.

If these kids keep listening, and begin to buy into this spirit of hopelessness, it could lead to terrible outcomes, as Satan corners them and tries to get them to hurt themselves and others.

In John 10:10 Jesus says, “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Thank God, we can share the hope and love of Jesus Christ with our children, teens, coworkers, and classmates! The fact that God loved us enough to send His own Son to die in our place – this is the ultimate source of meaning, value, and worth for each and every human life.

The devil hates the relationship that God has with His children and he wants to keep us separated in our loneliness and sin. He wants us to question whether God even loves us!

That’s exactly what he did to Adam and Eve in the garden, making them question God’s love and care for them. In Genesis 3:1-5, the devil asks them, “Is that what God said? Well, that’s not true. He just doesn’t want you to know what He knows.” Basically, He’s just holding out on you.

Now, God made Eve first to be Adam’s companion and helper, someone to love and to talk to and to have a relationship with on a human level, so he wouldn’t  be lonely and depressed (Genesis 2:18-22).

But more than that, God Himself came down to walk in the garden in the cool of the day and fellowship with the man and the woman that He had created for just that purpose, because relationship means taking time to interact with the ones you love (Genesis 3:8-10).

Parents, we must always be careful not to be so busy at work or at school, with housework or homework that we forget to set aside time to interact with our kids.

The love you feel from your children is priceless; and they feel exactly the same way when you set aside time and effort to show that love back. Explore new hobbies, read with them, walk with them to the store for a soda or an ice cream. It’s not the treat, but the personal time that is worth more to them than a thousand dollar game!

Just a moment for a hug and “I love you” – even by text! – can lift their spirits and show you are thinking of them. These simple nurturing acts can lift them out of depression and make their hearts feel like they can take on the world.

We only have a short while to give our kids loving input. And don’t think they aren’t getting input from everywhere else! Hopefully it is healthy input like sharing sports and school activities with good moral friends, rather than ungodly influences from the wrong crowd.

If they are feeling beaten down or beaten up, they really do need you to be there to talk with them, pray with them, strengthen them from God’s Word.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God Himself goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:6,8).

Left to themselves, lonely kids have a tendency to bully other lonely kids or to engage in not-so-savory activities alone or with others. Without loving godly input, they may become depressed and feel that drugs or alcohol are their only escape.

But if someone touches their lives with the love of God and shows them that He cared enough to send Jesus to give them a life worth living and a purpose that they never knew existed – that is a game changer!

We have the privilege as parents to teach our children about the love of God and to model it in the way we interact with them and with others. Open the Bible with your kids and bring them face to face with the Gospel.

Here is where they can find a genuine love that makes promises to them that will never be broken; a love that can’t be bought and can never be stolen away. In fact, once you give your life to Jesus, you will never be alone ever again because He’ll never let you go; He promised He won’t leave you alone… ever!

“For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you,’ so we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

Maybe you know of other kids in this situation, lonely neighborhood kids, or friends of your own children who may feel isolated, depressed, thinking nobody cares.

Talk to any kid you see sitting by himself, reading or playing games alone on a phone.

You may think they don’t want to be bothered, but I encourage you to tell them that God loves them so much that He put you into their lives today so they can hear about what He did for them through Jesus Christ.

“Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).