Thoughts on Feeling Isolated

 The Order of the Phoenix is by far my favorite of all the Harry Potter series, just as The Two Towers is my favorite of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. (I could devote an entire post to why these middle stories are my favorites and the significance of them to their overall stories, but that is for another time.) This morning, I had to make a choice to prioritize one thing over another, which consequently meant I would have to miss out on a time of fellowship with others to tend to other, more pressing commitments. And, goodness, do I miss seeing the faces and receiving the hugs of these ladies I have come to love so dearly! Being with them encourages me because we have common bonds of faith and military life and I always come away from my time with them reminded that I am not alone. So, as I felt that sense of isolation rising up in me this morning, it reminded me of a quote from the movie adaptation of Order of the Phoenix. In this story, Harry is feeling isolated, on his own, misunderstood, abandoned by his friends, and is also processing and dealing with hard things. When he meets with another friend, Luna, he confides in her how alone he feels and she responds by saying, “Well, if I were You-Know-Who, I’d want you to feel cut off from everyone else because if it’s just you alone, you’re not as much of a threat.” (Emphasis mine.) Listen, we don’t have to actually be cut off from our support system. Our enemy knows that we just have to feel that we are in order to trip us up, slow us down, and turn our eyes away from Jesus, and it is enough. And he will exploit every opportunity he can to produce those feelings, even when we are choosing good things, like I had to do today.

There have been so many times over these past several years that I have felt cut off from everyone else, doing life on my own, having to miss out on time with others to accomplish other things. The key word in that sentence is that I felt that way. But, in reality, it is FAR from the truth. Because of Christ, I am never cut off and I am never alone. Even when I feel that way, He is always with me. In addition, I know that I have a community of faithful friends, family, and an amazing church family that covers me in love and prayers, checks on me, and reminds me of the truth and power of the Gospel.

I am so thankful for the body of Christ and for the Savior whose life, death, and resurrection have made it all possible. If you ever need a friend to come alongside you and remind you that are not alone, to remind you of His truth, to pray with you, to remind you to turn your eyes upon Jesus, or just to sit and be, I would consider it a privilege to do so.