This has been the most viewed on jeffcalloway.com and it is not just viewed during the Christmas season, but throughout the entire year. I wanted to re-post this one for people who may happen upon this blog and haven’t read this.

Some of us are alone this Christmas and its so discouraging to be
alone. In the Charlie Brown Christmas special; Charlie Brown checks his
mailbox but there’s no Christmas cards for him. And he remarks, “I know
no one likes me but why do we have to have a holiday to emphasize it!”

Statistics tell us that Christmas time is a very lonely time of the
year for many people in America even though they are surrounded by
family and friends. But if you’re lonely, what does God have to say to
you? He wants to say first, “I understand exactly how you feel.” Jesus,
the Bible says, “was tempted in all points as we yet he sinned not.” He
understood every human emotion. There were times when Jesus was lonely.
Even in the closing moments of His life when He went to the Garden of
Gethsemane to pray, knowing that the next day He would be crucified on
the cross, He takes His three best friends. Even Jesus had a need for
human companionship. He takes His three best friends — Peter, James,
John — and says, “Tarry with me a while, while I sweat this thing
out!” And they fell asleep on Him. Jesus comes back and says, “Can’t
even you wait with Me an hour?” And He felt all alone.

How do you deal with loneliness? Normally we do the wrong things.
People will try all kinds of things to overcome their loneliness. Some
people will try being a workaholic. They think if they stay busy
they’ll overcome their loneliness. They’ll work and then fall in bed
late at night totally fatigued. They get up in the morning and they’re
still lonely. Some people think they’ll cure their loneliness through
things, materialism. They surround their life with beautiful objects —
nice clothes, nice cars, nice art objects, a beautiful home. But you
cannot purchase happiness. It doesn’t last. I could put you on a desert
island and tell you that you could have every single thing that you
want — anything. Except people. How long would you be happy? Not very
long. Why do you think solitary confinement is the most devastating
form of punishment. We were made for each other. Some people will try
to overcome their loneliness by having an affair. Some people get
drunk, take drugs, go to bars. Some people do nothing. They just sit
around and have a pity party and say, “Poor me!” Loneliness will
paralyze you if you let it.

A lot of our loneliness is really a spiritual vacuum. We have a God
shaped vacuum in our lives and when we try to fill it with anything
else besides God it’s like filling a round hole with a square peg. It
doesn’t fit! But when you invite Christ into your life and ask His
Spirit to fill you, He puts His presence in you, a presence that will
never, never leave you. Some of you may be thinking, “Nobody loves me.
Nobody cares for me. Nobody even knows I exist.” I know somebody who
does. His names is Jesus Christ.