Friday, April 29, 2016

Age of Loneliness
By Lexi Cole Ellis

“…but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another…”

I read an intriguing article about addiction yesterday. It was thought-provoking, and I found myself wrestling with my own perceived notions and presumptions. But the point the article made was aligned with Scripture beautifully.

The article talked about how we approach addiction in our society, particularly in how we choose to address it based on our understanding of it. The article claims that addiction is not just the result of an exclusive need for a particular substance or a chemical hook, though that can be a factor. Instead, it noted that the lack of, or the perceived lack of, human connection  is also a factor that feeds and fuels addiction…and this may have even more of an impact than the chemical composition of the substance. Johann Hari writes:

“Human beings are bonding animals. We need to connect and love. The wisest sentence of the twentieth century was E.M. Forster’s  - - ‘only connect.’  But we have created an environment and a culture that cut us off from connection, or offer only the parody of it offered by the Internet. The rise of addiction is a symptom of a deeper sickness in the way we live - - constantly directing our gaze towards the next shiny object we should buy, rather than the human beings all around us. The writer George Monbiot has called this ‘the age of loneliness.' We have created human societies where it is easier for people to become cut off from all human connections than ever before.” [1]


We see this in story after story in Scripture. God created Adam for relationship with Him, and then additionally created another human because it was not good for Adam to “be alone.” David and Jonathan were friends who sacrificed for each other and cared deeply for one another. We see Paul’s deep relationships with each of the churches he wrote to as he greeted them in his letters and wrote that he missed them.
While on earth, Jesus built relationships with His disciples and followers, and He continually commanded us to love each other. We are called to enter the vulnerability and messiness that comes with intentional community. Loving is hard and certainly not always glamorous or conflict-free. There is a cost.
But there is incredible joy that comes with coming alongside each other and “doing life together.” It allows us to experience and to be the tangible work of the Church. It also taps into our specific design that God created. Today and every day, let’s be people that reject the appeal of this “age of loneliness.”

GOING DEEPER: 
1.      Take some time to reflect on your “community.” Is your fellowship loving, healthy and life-giving? What needs to change?
FURTHER READING:

Lexi and her husband, Andrew, have an adorable dog named Calvin. She teaches sixth grade and serves with Children’s Ministries and is the Fresh Start coordinator.
[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-real-cause-of-addicti_b_6506936.html