Being Alone

Why is being alone so bad, so frightening, so intolerable that you would rather stay in a situation that is causing you pain or harm? When you think about being alone with yourself, what unbearable thought convinces you that it is okay to be unhappy, unfulfilled or dissatisfied with someone else? When you are alone, what do you see in yourself that makes it feel better to be treated wrongly by someone else? What you may not realize is that you can never fully be with anyone until you can be with yourself.

There is a very sacred sweetness about being alone that you will miss if you fear it so much. When you are alone with yourself, you become sensitive to and familiar with your own voice, your own touch, your own sense of being. You learn to appreciate quiet times with you; special things that you do for yourself. When you are alone, you can pamper yourself, be extravagant with yourself, you can even talk to yourself without being overheard. Being alone is an opportunity to examine your thoughts, explore your feelings and allow yourself to feel all the things you thought you could not feel because you were with someone else.

It is okay to desire a warm body in bed at night. It is perfectly fine to want someone to talk to or share with or stare at across the dinner table. It is human nature to congregate and communicate, to seek companionship and camaraderie. However, it is often detrimental to indulge your human nature to avoid the sacred nature of being alone.

Until today, you may have done everything in your power to avoid being alone. Just for today, allow yourself to explore the possibilities and opportunities that being alone offer you. If it feels frightening or sad, take a moment and ask God to show you how you can make it feel better.