Heart & Mind Part 2
Message Summary: Today’s message focuses on loneliness and isolation being a challenge and how God encourages us through community
Elijah felt so overwhelmed with Israel worshiping idols and having his life threatened that he retreated into isolation and wanted his life to end. Like Elijah, we often hold our struggles inside leading to us moving out of our “window of tolerance” or optimal emotional balance.
We then move into hyper-arousal which makes us irritable and angry due to our sympathetic nervous system being overactive, pushing us into fight or flight mode. Or, we move into hypo-arousal where we withdraw and isolate and our system shuts down.
3 things we need when we’re isolated:
Validation – we need to hear that it’s okay we’re feeling this way; we’re not bad or less than for the stress we’re experiencing. We tell ourselves that no one else understands our situation and it drives us to deeper isolation. Remember that God is close to the brokenhearted and is with us in trouble (Psalm 34:18 & 91:15). Jesus gave examples of this with the woman at the well and how he connected with the leper. He engaged and cared for those individuals in their struggle just as he does with us. He meets us in our pain, just as He met Elijah on the mountaintop (I Kings 19:13)
Provision – God often provides through community and offers hope. Sometimes we need to take action and ask for help, remembering that God’s power is made perfect in weakness.
Purpose – God is not through with us; we have a purpose outside of our struggles and can have hope in God’s plan. God often whispers to us in our pain letting us know he is close and wants us to draw near. God will use our pain to help others. (2 Corinthians 1:4)
- Do you ever feel like you’re walking through a struggle and have no one to share with and you’re walking alone? Does it ever feel like more than you can take?
- Where have you given up hope? What areas of your life have you resigned yourself to live in isolation or a state of hopelessness?
- What is one step you could take to move out of isolation? Do you find it difficult to ask others for help? If so, why?
- How can we draw near to God when we’re at the point where we feel hopeless?
- How can we help others? Is empathy or sympathy a better way to connect and offer hope and understanding?
I Kings 19:3-8 – Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”
Romans 12: 2 –Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.