lonely

J.D. Greear recently told his congregation that attenders who arrive late and leave early are the “problem” when it comes to visitors saying that the church is “unfriendly and it feels like a big production.”

When I was studying to go into ministry, one of the professors told us is always best, the professor said, to seek out friendships with people who are not part of our churches. This seemed like a recipe to be lonely and discouraged.

Being lonely gets a bad rap. And for good reason. One of our deepest, most basic human needs is to experience healthy attachment—or in non-psychological terms, to experience loving connection with someone who sees us. What if loneliness is a gift?