Episode 223: The Loneliness Crisis: Jonathan Youssef

[00:00:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Hello and welcome to Candid, where we never settle for less than the truth.

[00:00:09] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm your host, Jonathan Youssef.

[00:00:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Each week we'll tackle tough issues, answer your hard questions, and take a candid look

[00:00:16] [SPEAKER_00]: at the Christian faith.

[00:00:18] [SPEAKER_00]: In today's technological age, we are more connected and yet more lonely than ever before.

[00:00:26] [SPEAKER_00]: But God has more for us.

[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_00]: It is not good for man to be alone.

[00:00:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Shortly after forming the first human being, this is one of the first things God said about

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_00]: His new creation.

[00:00:41] [SPEAKER_00]: It was a declaration that man was never meant to live alone, never meant to glorify God

[00:00:46] [SPEAKER_00]: in isolation, never meant to enjoy Eden by himself.

[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_00]: It was a declaration that we were made in the image of a triune God designed to reflect

[00:00:58] [SPEAKER_00]: the perfect love abounding between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[00:01:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Fast forward to today and we are craving intimacy and meaning as never before.

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_00]: We binge Netflix dramas and scroll through endless newsfeeds to satisfy our longings.

[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_00]: And meanwhile, we don't even know our own neighbors.

[00:01:21] [SPEAKER_00]: At the end of the day, the inbox is full but the living room is empty.

[00:01:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Vivek Murthy, the former US surgeon general said,

[00:01:31] [SPEAKER_00]: the most common ailment I saw as a doctor was not heart disease or diabetes.

[00:01:36] [SPEAKER_00]: It was loneliness.

[00:01:38] [SPEAKER_00]: In America today, nearly half of adults report chronic feelings of loneliness and isolation

[00:01:45] [SPEAKER_00]: with young people reporting the highest numbers.

[00:01:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Doctors and researchers are now saying that loneliness may even be a greater public

[00:01:54] [SPEAKER_00]: health risk than obesity.

[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_00]: This isn't just a problem of socialization where someone feels sad because they can't

[00:02:03] [SPEAKER_00]: make or maintain meaningful friendships.

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Loneliness is a sense of profound spiritual and physical brokenness that often manifests

[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_00]: itself physically in the form of depression, weight gain, heart disease, or arthritis.

[00:02:19] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a vicious cycle where the more isolated you feel, the more destructive your thoughts

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER_00]: become and the harder it is to reach out for help.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_00]: There is perhaps no more alarming indicator of the epidemic of loneliness, depression,

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: and hopelessness our culture is facing today than the statistic recently released

[00:02:39] [SPEAKER_00]: by the CDC.

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Since 1999 suicides have increased by 25%.

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_00]: And as we hear of one suicide after another in the media, many loved ones are saying

[00:02:52] [SPEAKER_00]: I had no idea.

[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_00]: I didn't see the signs.

[00:02:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Loneliness is a heartbreaking struggle because it's a war waged in silence.

[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_00]: No one knows you are lonely and the enemy of your soul would love to keep it that way.

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_00]: How can we break the cycle?

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Carry each other's burdens.

[00:03:14] [SPEAKER_00]: And in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ, Galatians 6-2.

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_00]: At the deepest level, this is a spiritual crisis that only Jesus Christ can answer.

[00:03:27] [SPEAKER_00]: As Christians we have unique insight into loneliness and hopelessness,

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_00]: therefore a unique responsibility to answer it.

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_00]: The opening chapters of the Bible paint a picture of the perfect community we were made for.

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Man, woman and God are at peace with one another.

[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Adam and Eve's nakedness signified a complete emotional openness

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_00]: and their marriage would set the foundation for all society and culture as well.

[00:03:57] [SPEAKER_00]: But then sin came in and loneliness entered the picture.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_00]: But God, out of His infinite love and mercy, while we were yet sinners,

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_00]: rushing toward the cosmic eternal loneliness that is sinful separation from God,

[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Christ died to restore us to eternal friendship with God and our neighbors.

[00:04:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Overcoming our loneliness therefore begins with knowing first and foremost

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER_00]: that we are deeply known and accepted by God.

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_00]: And it continues by taking the risk of knowing and being known by our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_00]: If you are fortunate enough to have a strong sense of Christian community,

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_00]: consider that you enjoy this because of God's generosity to you.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: How might you invite the lonely into the gracious community He has given you?

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Consider ways that you can step out of your comfort zone and love your neighbor as yourself.

[00:05:06] [SPEAKER_00]: If you're feeling lonely, look upon God and see His love for you through His Son.

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Be encouraged. The loneliness you now experience is temporary.

[00:05:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Even now, God is preparing an eternal home for you with Him.

[00:05:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Feel confident in God's love for you as you look for opportunities to develop friendship.

[00:05:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Take the risk of picking up the phone, meeting with a friend,

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_00]: asking for prayer and initiating a meaningful conversation.

[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_00]: We all need a community that we can laugh, cry and bleed with,

[00:05:44] [SPEAKER_00]: a family to go to battle with, grieve with and celebrate our victories with.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a gift from God that is worth fighting for.

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_00]: The Bible describes Christ's reunion with the church as a great wedding feast.

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Every act of deliberate community even offering a cold cup of water foreshadows that moment

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER_00]: when we will enter everlasting, joyful friendship with God and each other,

[00:06:14] [SPEAKER_00]: never to be lonely again.

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Through Christ's blood, we can have a taste of that fellowship right now.

[00:06:22] [SPEAKER_00]: So let us seek out community and befriend the lonely,

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER_00]: knowing that in doing so, we follow the example of Christ himself.

[00:06:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Candid is a podcast from Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Don't forget to connect with our social media pages on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

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[00:06:54] [SPEAKER_00]: As always, thank you for listening to and sharing this episode.