ISOLATION vs STANDING-OUT

Hi there!

It's great to have you here once again. Today, I'll be sharing my thoughts on an issue that applies to every human being; an issue that is taken lightly by some and highly esteemed by a few.

The Cambridge dictionary defines the word 'isolation' as , "the condition of being alone, especially when it makes you unhappy; the fact that something is separate and not connected to other things". These definitions are in fact what I didn't expect to see. They are more vivid than I could have painted it.

Moving on, the first point I'll like to establish is the fact that, isolation is not of God. This may sound very simple but I have heard people say that they do not have friends for one reason or the other. Their reason might be one that carries a lot of weight such as being deceived by friends in the past and so on, but the truth remains that they are slowly dying inside whilst being separated from people who can be of help to them.

God calls us to be separate, sanctified and set apart FROM THE WORLD for His use. He does not call us to be isolated from those who are in a position to strengthen us else the Bible would not have said "as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another" (Pr. 27:17). Neither would it have said, "Two are better than one.... for if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up" (Eccl. 4:9-10). It is apparent in these scriptures that God does not want us to live in isolation.

Furthermore, I was studying the kings of Isreal some time back and one thing that struck me was how God kept warning them against isolation. An example is when they chose to be separated from Judah. In Hebrews, the Bible also talks about fellowshipping with the brethren (Heb. 10:25); all these, point to the danger of being isolated.  Has it ever occurred to you that many cases of depression, anxiety and even suicide were once cases of isolation? Beware!

By the way, David had the thirty and the three, Moses had Aaron and Miriam, Elijah had Elisha, Paul had Barnabas and Timothy and Jesus, our ultimate example, had the twelve and the three. Whose example will you be following by being in isolation?

Now, how do we merge isolation, being sanctified and standing out? As I mentioned earlier, God calls us to be separate from the world but not estranged from fellow believers. Build long-lasting relationships with those who believe in God just as you do and do all you can to maintain those relationships because the time will come when you will need them. I understand that we do not always want to share our personal issues with others but this is why we follow God's leading in choosing our friends. Not every so-called Christian is worth being a friend so, we must prayerfully choose our friends and trust that God will make us a blessing to them as well. God made me understand that my family should never be in isolation; we must always be surrounded by believers who are our friends because there will be times when they will be needed to join faith with ours or to even pass across something God may be saying that we are oblivious to.

Standing out simply involves a distinction between yourself and others, especially those in the world. Once you are able to draw a distinction between the world and the family of believers, you will be on the path of sanctification and yet stand out because you're not compromising with the world. You will also be far away from isolation and yet be outstanding in all that you do because God uses and blesses those who are set apart for His use.

In conclusion, run from isolation!

Much love,

Precious.