A Lonely, Bored, Unloved Failure? Oh Shut UP!

Common Sense Commentary:  "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isa.41:10.


When I was young, I sometimes felt like an untalented child, which I was, but I never felt like a failure, just a child.  Since then I have failed a million times but never really felt like a failure. The feeling of failure in life must be a terribly depressing burden ... especially for a man. I have never thought of myself as special or extra talented or highly capable or intellectually superior, but neither do I recall ever feeling bored or useless or incapable. I have felt stupid a few times. I'm just me, nothing more or less. I can surely improve me, but I cannot be something or somebody I'm not, and don't want to be. If I could I would change some things about myself that God didn't put there, but I wouldn't change places with anybody else on earth. That's not because I think I'm better or even very good. I'm just not unhappy with God's arrangement of my life.  No, it's not perfect but what on earth is?

I was surrounded by so many people for so many years, as a pastor, that one might think, as an old retired man now, that I would feel lonely. Not so. I don't ever recall being lonely. I enjoy the quietness and freedom of being alone sometimes. I enjoy the far back-woods and the vast, empty desert. I also enjoy seeing my wife, Bettie, when I return or she returns home from being gone. I can't imagine being without her. I know I would be lonely without her if she died before me. Loneliness must be a deeply painful thing to endure.

I must confess, I have felt unloved from time to time, but it isn't true. It's a common human fallacy. I have loved and been loved far more than I had any right to expect.  And that is usually the problem with most people who feel unloved. Almost everyone expects far too much of others.... more than they themselves are willing or able to give or be. People are just people not angels, gods, real good or even tolerable much of the time. People are mostly selfish and self-centered, deep down, when pressured to the limit, and the mask of civility and personality are laid aside.  How God could love us at all is the mystery ... much less how we could love each other.  Humanity, in general, isn't very lovable ... but Jesus loved us anyway and died, not for saints, but for sinners ... even the worst of sinners. It's truly amazing.

So, if you have Jesus, you have God and the Holy Spirit too.  That's you and three  friends. If you had nothing or no one else, you already have eternal life, the infinite universe, God, and a heaven full of angels to live with you there.... not to mention all the Old Testament saints and the entire Church of Jesus Christ, your heavenly family,
forever.  Now, back to the here and now.  There are ten lifetimes of things worth doing on this earth .... so go do some of them. There are seven billion people in the world ... so go befriend  some of them. The majority of those feel unloved ... so go love some of them.  If you don't feel like doing that, do it for Jesus.  And let's not hear any more of that "lonely, unloved failure" whining waste of time.


Jesus said, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." Matt.5:14. Get up out of that ditch, or gutter or deep dark hole you are in and get up there on your assigned  "hill" where you belong and where you can illuminate the country-side, and be seen shinning for Jesus for miles around. Light IS success already.  Now  all you need is your hill. Get up there and radiate for Jesus, love and be loved, help others to see the way, and you will not be lonely, unloved, bored or a failure.  And best of all, you will be the real YOU that God intended you to be when He gave you life and talent.  Just be THAT you...nothing else.  RB