Day 3: Alone

I am alone as I write this.  My blogging the last few years has been more intentional; less about the stream of consciousness in my head and more about the specific experiences that I want to share.  This is largely due to the fact that I have evolved into a more social creature throughout my time at college.  While freshmen and into sophomore year I spent Friday and Saturday evenings blogging, now I am hanging out with friends, visiting my boyfriend, or just sleeping.  But here I am again blogging, alone.

The physical alone however is not the heart of this reflection (though it is worthy of other musings that I may delve into at another time).  The kind of alone that I want to focus on is the alone that we feel even while surrounded by people, by friends, even by family.  This type of alone brings my heart to tears.

It is the type of alone that screams at the world “you don’t understand!”

It is the type of alone that cries us to sleep at night.

It is the type of alone that causes us to pull farther away, when what we really are in need of most is company.

To enter into relationship takes trust.  It requires a certain vulnerability that can be challenging to muster.  It requires humility, setting aside what we are proud of and humbly coming to another.  It is risky, and sometimes it fails.

God is with us through the alone.  God sees our weakness, our brokenness, and loves us despite these truths.  God gives us strength and courage even when we don’t think we have what it takes.  How can we bridge the alone?  How can we support our brothers and sisters?  How can we have relationship without opening up to be known?

The picture today is a crowd of people in Boston.  What is it like to be alone within the crowd?  More importantly, how can we support each other through the alone?

An additional note.  This is a video a saw a few years back that I think beautifully captures the struggle between the acceptance and intimidation of alone.