Isolation Leads To Desolation

Last Friday we attended the memorial service for a 27 year-old man who had taken his own life. Throughout the service, as well as afterward, we began to understand how isolated this young man had become.  Suffering from depression all of his adult life, we learned from his blog that he felt ostracized by society.  Most unfortunately, according to a blog entry, he felt especially ostracized by Christians, who he stated "judged him". Feeling like life had no meaning, no purpose, no future & no one to help, he sadly choose suicide as the only way out.  

Our culture and sadly, many churches, turn away from depressed, mentally ill people who require a lot of intervention and support.  The depressed person therefore isolates themselves and unfortunately, we let them. Isolation leads to desolation. 

The antidote, which is counterintuitive, but right, is "insulation".  People struggling with hurts, hang-ups, additions & mental illness, easily isolate themselves.  Churches, we need to sound the alarm that we are the life-saving stations that God intends us to be, not the country clubs that many have become. We need to create a culture counterintuitive to current culture, where the depressed, down-and-out, hurting, and addicts can come as they are and find hope. People, take off our blinders and look around. Slow down and help someone who is without hope and has isolated themselves.  It'll take a lot of your time and resources, but you'll grow, and maybe even save a life.  

If you are reading this post and you feel you are without hope, believing no one cares, come this Sunday to New Horizon Church; where you'll find people who want to come around you, support you, and love you enough to not allow you to stay where you are. Then, come back on Tuesday night at 7pm for Celebrate Recovery, where just about everyone you'll encounter, has felt exactly like you feel now.  God designed community and His word describes this support very clearly - 

Two are better than one, 
       because they have a good return for their work:

 ¹⁰ If one falls down, 
       his friend can help him up. 
       But pity the man who falls 
       and has no one to help him up!

 ¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. 
       But how can one keep warm alone?

 ¹² Though one may be overpowered, 
       two can defend themselves. 
       A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12