When I was around 6-years-old my biggest fear and recurring nightmare was that I would be all alone. You see, I was the youngest in the family therefore I believed that I would be the last to die. That was what I thought until my younger brother was born.

The fear of being alone is scary and I have a heart for those who feel this way. One would think because of all the ways we are all connected via Facebook, Twitter, texting and email no one would feel alone. In my life’s journey I’ve found the opposite. I encounter many people walking this world alone. I can see it in their demeanor. I can see it in their faces and I can definitely see it in their eyes.

After church yesterday, I approached an elderly friend to say that I was glad to see her. She looked at me with a smile and said, "You know, I really needed that today!"

As I contemplated this topic I found that being alone and being lonely can be two different things.

"One can be alone without being lonely, and one can be lonely in a crowded room. Loneliness is, therefore, a state of mind, an emotion brought on by feelings of separation from other human beings. The sense of isolation is very deeply felt by those who are lonely. The Hebrew word translated ‘desolate’ or ‘lonely’ in the Old Testament means Advertisement

[ Pala Mesa Resort ] ‘one alone, only; one who is solitary, forsaken, wretched.’ There is no deeper sadness that ever comes over the mind than the idea that we are alone in the world, that we do not have a friend, that no one cares for us, that no one is concerned about anything that might happen to us, that no one would care if we were to die or shed a tear over our grave." (Source: www.gotquestions.org/loneliness)

It is a shame that there are many walking lonely, looking for a friend, looking for someone to say, "I see you!" Why else do people post their most intimate details on the internet for the world to see? I’ve never been a big fan of Facebook but I have to say this, it meets a need. It meets a need that many of us could fill if we would open our eyes, open our ears, and open our hearts to those that are hurting.

The Bible says in Proverbs 18:21-22, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, those who make it a friend shall eat its fruit." The Bible says our words have power. We have the ability to breathe life into others with what we choose to say.  

Who will you breathe life into today?

Call a friend on the phone. Take someone out for coffee. Brighten someone’s day today and you will eat the fruit of friendship and a warm heart.