Loneliness: Working from Home

I think only when you are truly alone can you see you never were – Kelly Moran, Summer’s Road

I can remember wanting to work from home. I thought it would be a dream job. No commute, no one breathing down my neck all day. I could wear my pajamas. It would be awesome. So when I first got started working from home, I was thrilled!

I had people come to me with advice they had heard or seen someone else who works from home implement, but there is one thing no one talked about. They did not talk about how lonely it can get when you work from home. Even if you are married, have kids or live with someone, when you are alone day in and day out rarely in communication with anyone, it is hard.

Do you remember in the Bible when God created Eve for Adam. God knew it was not good for man to be alone. He created for Adam a helpmate. God is a God of community. He does not want us to be alone. He wants us to be in community.

We see examples of loneliness in the Bible. David in the Psalms cried out to God in his loneliness. In Psalm 15: 16-21 we see David crying out, “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. Look on my affliction and distress and take away all my sins. See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me! Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.” NIV

David was lonely and he cried out to God about it. He only had God to rely on in his loneliness. We might have a full life meaning we participate in Bible studies, we get out of the house to do things and communicate with others, but those long days spent inside our homes alone can get to us. There are also days when we do not have anything planned, so being social is not an option.

God wants us to turn to Him in these times. Yes, we should try to be in communion with others, but on those days when that is just not possible, we look to God to fill us. We look to God to help us in our loneliness. When we open our Bibles or turn to Him in prayer, we are helping ourselves in those times of being alone to have communication with God. We are relying on God to fill that void and help us not feel alone.

We still need communion with people, in the event you are working from home, be sure to plan outings to be with others and get out of the house. But when one day turns into two days and you still haven’t left the house, turn to God and He will help you to not feel alone.

Dear God, we come to you today to help us to remember to turn to you when we feel alone. Help us to remember that you are with us and that your word can fill us and help us in ways no human can. Amen.