Fighting Isolation and Loneliness and Becoming a Confident Community Builder!

Have you ever felt isolated or lonely? Like you are fighting an uphill battle to be seen? We are wired, as human beings, to need one another. That is precisely why I believe social media is so addictive for us. 

We want to be seen. We want to be known. We want to matter to other human beings and form deep and abiding relationships. 

But relationships are messy and challenging and sometimes downright painful. 

It is far less painful to relate behind screens. We can get into an argument with someone we have only met online and it makes us annoyed and frustrated momentarily but it has no impact on real lives. That person or group will simply be replaced by another and the cycle will continue. 

Our newsfeeds are curated to literally feed us only what we enjoy. They show us things that will make us stay. We are given articles and memes we will agree with or that will give us just the right amount of frustration so that we have to share them. 

And, in doing this, we are forfeiting something better. 

God knew what it would be like in our era when He inspired the writing of Scripture.

And yet He still commanded that we be in real, personal relationships. 

We are told to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), prefer one another (Romans 12:10), and yes.. be hospitable (1 Peter 4:9). 

And here’s the amazing thing… If we really take Scripture seriously; if we really dig into the relationships in front of us; if we really love the people God has placed in our physical proximity well – we will take the world by storm. 

See, our society is growing increasingly lonely and isolated with each passing day. This study found that “half of Americans view themselves as lonely.” 

All of us know somewhere deep inside that this is not working. 

We can all sense it. 

We know that there has to be more to life than curated events and hiding behind screens. 

We know we shouldn’t waste hours and days and weeks and years of our lives living in a virtual reality. 

We know that social media should only be a tool used to advance our real society and yet we are lulled into inaction because it is just so stinking easy. 

But it is time for Christians to make a decision to be different. 

It is time that we decide we are no longer going to allow screens to dictate our lives. 

We will no longer spend our days envying those who are really living and making an impact and instead we will be among them! 

We will use social media, not as something we just endlessly scroll, but as the tool it can be to start conversations and encourage. 

We will not allow it to lull us to sleep. 

Because the reality is, our society is craving something different. 

There are so many people experiencing loneliness and isolation and someone will stand up to it but if it is not Christians, we will have missed a tremendous opportunity. 

See, Scripture doesn’t say that they will know we are Christ’s disciples by our memes or inspiring photos. It says that the world will know we are Christ’s disciples by our LOVE for one another (John 13:35). 

“Love for the Lord, love for neighbor – that is the heart of holiness, and how the triune God’s people get to be like him.” – Michael Reeves

We can show love on social media and we should! But we cannot be satisfied with only this!

It’s time we take up arms to fight isolation and build real community. 

We will only be able to do that if we decide today that our lives are going to be different. 

Because we have peace with God, we act out of our joy in Christ and we welcome the way we have been welcomed (Romans 15:7). 

And THAT is why I wrote the Community Builder’s Creed (Keep scrolling to grab your copy)!

Each of the things in this document are backed by Scripture and CRITICAL for our good, the good of those around us, and the glory of God. 

There are things we have to BELIEVE in order to really be community builders and those beliefs will fuel our actions! 

So, let me explain a little more about this.