“I’m all alone!” cried Kevin, the main character in the Christmas movie, Home Alone.
Kevin was ecstatic in the movie’s opening scenes when he realized he had apparently ditched his family. He would no longer be the brunt of all his siblings’ jokes. He was free at last. But then the plot thickened as Kevin’s safety and well-being were compromised. In the end, Kevin was reunited with his family. Being alone wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
Elijah also thought he was alone and then despaired. But after complaining to God, God corrected Elijah’s figures. Seven thousand servants had remained faithful to God. Elijah was not alone after all.
Feeling alone is a natural human emotion. But we will also feel hopeless when we believe God has abandoned us. As a new missionary, I was assigned language school and a summer practicum at a coastal resort town where the population tripled during the summer.
My host family mocked my French, faith, and person. Like Elijah, I thought I was the only Christian among thirty thousand tourists. I feared for my life, being responsible as a nanny for three grandchildren who constantly plotted to make me look bad. And it didn’t help that the grandfather was a retired military officer.
After this assignment, I spent the following month decompressing. I was twisted emotionally and had allowed my circumstances to make me believe God had forgotten about me. But God did not abandon me that summer.
Some events can be so traumatic that God, in His mercy, must gently remove the layers of false thinking like peeling an onion. Trusting is difficult when we feel someone, even God, has let us down.
Temporary healing comes from talking with people who will listen to us without judging us. Ultimate healing comes from believing that God will never leave or forsake us.
What steps can you take when you feel abandoned?
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
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Deborah Payne is an educator in both the public and private sectors. Her passion is mentoring young believers. Deborah lives in Fort Wayne, IN, with her husband Bruce and playful cat Scooter.