NO. 998 - ARE YOU SUFFERING IN SILENCE?

No. 998

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

ARE YOU SUFFERING IN SILENCE?

Are you lonely or do you know someone who is? The word lonely means, “Sad from lack of companionship or sympathy; or someone who is lonesome.” I am sure that I don’t have to tell you there are millions of people in our nation today who are lonely. However, there is a vast difference between being alone and being lonely.
I have been alone since May 13, 2013, the day I lost my precious wife to Parkinson’s, but I am not lonely. First, I have a busy lifestyle where I am always involved doing something, and most happy when I am doing for others, but I also have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is a very personal part of my life, and I don’t mind sharing it so long as you understand that this is a decision that only you can make for yourself. You see, Jesus is my best friend and I can talk with Him about anything, anytime, day or night. We get along fine and He also keeps me straight and out of trouble. When I do get in trouble, He shows me the best way out, and what is even more important is that He still loves me. I can certainly understand why any person who does not have this personal relationship can really be lonely.
While I don’t know the circumstances in each case, there is a group of men who come to the sports center where I work out three times each week. They would like for people to believe they are there for the exercise but they are really there for fellowship. I might add, these are all wonderful men, but when they go around the walking track, three or four in the group, they never break a sweat, but they do talk a good deal. Have you seen situations like this in your own life, especially when men and women are retired and have a good deal of free time on their hands? It has been often said but still true, we need each other.
I realize that by nature some people are “loners,” and I have observed that since we can’t live in a vacuum, unhealthy thoughts and lifestyles can often be the end result. The saddest thing for me, and the primary reason I am sharing these thoughts, is the millions of our fellow citizens who are trapped in a body where they can’t get out, and lie in bed day after day in a nursing home or long-term care facility. All too often these people have no family to visit them and they truly suffer in silence.
We have many people in our church who visit shut-ins and those in nursing homes. I praise the Lord for these people. Should you have some extra time, you would be richly rewarded if you would make it a point to go see some of these people. For me, this hits close to home, as my own mother is now 92 years of age and is in one of the fine nursing homes here in my community. While my stepdad is there all the time, I go by to see her at least three times each week. She has lost her mind and does not know me, but God knows that I am there, and this is what really matters.
When it comes to an appropriate way to end this column, I feel like the country boy who was walking through the woods with his girlfriend one Sunday afternoon. He put his arm around her and looked into her pretty blue eyes and said, “Honey, I love you more than anything in the whole world, will you marry me?” She did not hesitate a second, “Oh yes, I will marry you!”
They continued to walk through the woods and neither of them said anything. After about 15 or 20 minutes of complete silence, the young lady turned to her boyfriend and said, “Honey, why don’t you say something?” He replied, “It seems to me that I have probably said too much as it is.”
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(Editor’s Note: THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY – Begin your day on a positive note – 365 days for $12. This will benefit the Bookcase for Every Child project. Go to www.apositivemomentwithjim.com to subscribe.)