How Should a Stay-At-Home Mom of Teens Deal With Loneliness?
Secondly, be hospitable – without worrying if it will be returned. Many of us want to be in friendships which are based on mutual give and take. But sometimes our elderly neighbor or that single friend are just not in a position to return in our hospitality – and that is OK.
Hospitality is about forming relationships over time. Just opening your home (an increasingly rare thing these days) will bless others and help create friendships. And here is a key point: in my loneliest times I have always found Jesus to be my best friend. He is always there when I turn to Him. It has been in those lonely times that He has proven my most faithful friend.
I encourage you to be meditating on His message to you in the Word and to be in a conversation with Him through prayer. You will come away refreshed and satisfied in a world that is increasingly dissatisfied and dissatisfying. And you will have even more wisdom, love and joy to share with younger moms who very much need it.
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Dad Says: Thank you for being honest. The truth is that loneliness is an epidemic in American culture today. In fact it is a global epidemic in our increasingly fast paced, self-centered world. And research tells us that the problem is actually worse (much worse) for men. So please do not feel that this is something strange or unusual. In fact I believe that feelings of loneliness and isolation are the "new normal" for a large percentage of the adult population. While that is both sad and unfortunate, it presents all kinds of opportunities for ministry and outreach.
But first it is important to understand that we all go through periods of loneliness. That is unavoidable in this world. I think it is wise not to fight those periods but to embrace them. Use them to better understand yourself and your Heavenly Father, who loves you so much. But the very fact that SO many people today feel isolated and lonely is definitely a big change from the cultures our grandparents grew up in. And it is not a good change.
As the old saying goes "it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." So ask the LORD how you can light a candle of friendship and belonging in your community. Ask your Pastor or members of church leadership if it might make sense to form a Mom's Group or a Mentorship Group. Get involved in PTA or your local YMCA or "Moms in Touch" group. As Marina talks about above, just finding and helping one or two younger moms can have a HUGE impact. For you are not just blessing and helping that mom, but her entire family including her future grandchildren and even their children.
Thank you again for being honest. So many of us try to cover over loneliness with TV or internet chat rooms or alcohol or by other means...but none of those really work. We do need real friends for that is the way our Father made us to be. And the best way to develop real friendships is to be a real friend.
As Jesus taught us: "For even I, the Son of Man, came to serve and not to be served...and to give His life as a ransom for many." May that attitude be ours as well – and may our little light shine in the lonely darkness of this present world for His greater glory.
