Self-imposed Isolation

Sunday, April 15, 2012

  We have been created by God with a basic need to feel connected to other human beings, to need to feel a sense of community, of FAMILY. In Genesis 2:18 God said ; It is not good for man to be alone.  Or women for that matter. That is why God created the family unit in the first place, because no one can survive in a vacuum.  

   When people are  unable to experience this vital human need to feel connection to other human beings in a healthy way, they  will begin to feel like they are battling life’s problems alone. This may lead  to them experiencing over whelming  feelings  of  guilty, angry , resentful,  bitterness and depression. These feelings can cause a person to feel a need to run and hide, to separate themselves from people in general, even those that they love.  This action is know as “self-imposed isolation.” Which means it is a matter of personal choice.

Destructive path of self-imposed isolation

    God always intended that we find our sense of connection with in our own family first, but into today’s culture, even our own siblings are often strangers to us. Why?  Because we grew up, moved away, don’t phone as often as we should. And more often than most of us care to admit,   we don’t want our family to realize that we are having difficulty handling our own problems, our own pain. More often that we care to admit, we have separated ourselves from our family because we feel ashamed, or angry, or fear rejection.

 

Whether we want to accept this fact or not,  our sense of family is vital to our sense of well being, especially if we are in pain.  Family, even if they are not known for being the kindest and most considerate of people, even if they are nothing more than gossips in our opinion, can be a real blessing during times of pain and loss.  They can also be pain in the butts with all their unwanted advice. But I would rather listen to a lecture, or know that I am being gossiped about even if it is not very nice gossip, than face my pain alone. Or feeling as if there was not one single person in my life that really cares about me.

   Most of the time my family hasn’t know what to say when I tell them that I am in great pain, but knowing that they care enough to be concern  is all I need to tell me that I am not in this battle alone. Knowing that they care, keeps me from chose to live my life in self-imposed isolation.

 

Healing power of opening your heart

   What if we simple don’t feel comfortable with our family? You still need comfort and compassion and support of others, you need the sense of human connection, it is vital to your health and well being. But if you simple don‘t have it with in you to find the trust and courage to reach out to your family, than  that is were the church comes in. I don’t mean the Baptist church down the street. I mean the BODY OF CHRIST.

    The BODY OF CHRIST consistence of people from many different denominations.

There are true believers that have laid aside there religious prejudices, and are more concern for the well being of those in pain, than any other fraction in the church today. They are everywhere, including your own church you simple have to ask God to show you who they are.  But you will  never receive the support and comfort you need , until you are willing to take a chance on being hurt and open your heart.

    There is great freedom and healing that comes from opening our heart to another human being. But the true healing power comes by trusting in the Lord enough to ask Him to grace our live and our heart with that ability to open our  heart and reach out and touch someone. And it will continue to plague our lives, until we make a healing choice and become transparent to a  trusted friend, and  to our spouse.

   When we learn to be open then we are ready to begin to understand how to develop a more meaningful relationship , not only with God but with other people.