May 10, 2024
Humans have three basic needs:
To be loved and to love. “Faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Nowhere is this truer than the battle against loneliness.
To be understood. After all, aren’t most of us just looking to connect with people who “get us” and comprehend where we’re coming from and how we feel?
To be needed. All God’s children have something to offer and contribute. Loneliness doesn’t stand a chance against someone who has found their groove and is making things better for those around them.
Those who insulate and seclude themselves from others miss the joy of koinonia, that special communion and fellowship enjoyed exclusively by those who belong to the body of Christ. As an old Swedish proverb says, “Shared joy is doubled joy, shared sorrow is half a sorrow.”
“No man is an island unto himself.” Yes, we are our brother’s keeper. Experience the joy of friendship with Jesus, letting it overflow to those around you.
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This devotion is from Gaddis’ book “Manage Your Emotions.”
