Alone No More

I have been thinking about loneliness a little bit lately. Not because, I of myself am really very alone, but because even though we may be surrounded by people we love and that love us, we can feel very alone with the circumstances and events we face in our lives. So, I am not alone. But...sometimes I am alone. Perhaps this happens mostly when I keep certain feelings and thoughts to myself. Perhaps it happens when I am too afraid to express myself to someone. Perhaps it happens when I assume that others think things about me that may or may not be true. It can especially happen when we experience something very trying in our lives that we have to face by ourselves.
I believe in comfort. I know, through my own experience that it can come. It can come through friends. From family. From a spouse. It can come from our Heavenly Father, His Son, and the Spirit. I believe this.

Not Alone

Comfort is nice. It doesn't necessarily remove a trial or a conflict, or the inner turmoil we feel at times, but it can bring hope for a brighter tomorrow and peace in the troubling day. While we must still face our problems ,and in a sense we must face them alone because they are OUR problems, (You should read The Lesson by Carol Lynn Pearson - it has some excellent insights into life's troubles and teaches an important lesson. I read it every year to my students at the beginning of the year and the end.) we don't have to face them without hope or comfort. We can have faith.
Feeling alone teaches us. It can motivate us to reach out to other people so we don't feel alone. One of the best ways to lose that feeling is to help another who is struggling. There problems may be worse or not than ours. Perhaps they have experienced things we can only imagine, but when we reach out to them our loneliness fades and it is likely that theirs will be reduced. It may not make problems go away but discussing them with another can alleviate how difficult they appear and may give us renewed perspective.
Sometimes discussing them with another person or our Heavenly Father can help us see that, while heavy our burdens are not unbearable. For other trials, we may see that our burdens were never burdens at all, but blessings meant to strengthen us.
Prayer is a great help. It can lead to solutions, action (if we allow it), and enlightenment. Perhaps answers will come immediately. Most likely not. There is value in our struggle. Faith can never grow if it is never opposed, but to those who stay steadfast and never quit faith will be increased. I know this because I have experienced it. My life at this point is a result of answered prayers, Jenna, my kids, our home, even dumb stuff. I know the Lord listens. I also know that He will not always give immediately and that at times we need to prove ourselves. So we know we are ready for blessings. He will not give us more than we can handle, blessings or trials. But we need to prove ourselves. D&C 111:11 comes to mind, " Therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and I will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them. Amen." There is a lot said in that scripture and it applies well to many areas of life, especially for things we want or believe we need.

We may feel alone, and we may be left to figure things out on our own sometimes, but there are always people there willing to help as well as a Heavenly Father who I know loves each of us. I say trust and believe rather than doubt. I don't know where doubt ever got anybody when it comes to God, but I know where trust and faith take me. And I don't feel so alone when I remember that.