Some years ago I was shopping with my mom and I came across a birthday card with a sequence of three pictures of a giraffe on it. In the top picture, the giraffe had just arrived at a party and had eagerly knocked on the door, holding a present and card. In the second picture, the birthday boy (who happened to be a lion) had squeezed all the other animals behind the door and opened it to tell the giraffe that there was, in fact, no party. And in the last picture, the lion had shut the door and the party had resumed, and the giraffe was walking sadly away from the door. As humorous as this card was probably intended to be, it nearly reduced eleven year old me to tears- I hated the idea of that poor giraffe being turned away because no one liked him enough to invite him to the party.
I still hate the loneliness that the giraffe on the card felt, but what I hate even more is that I’m surrounded by girls- real girls, not cartoon giraffes- to whom loneliness is so real and so painful.
So here it is: this one is for the girl who feels alone.
Feeling alone hurts.
It hurts when you sit alone at lunch for the fifth time that week. It hurts when you know you’re the only one without plans for the weekend. It hurts when your ‘friends’ stand you up… or when they don’t even text back. It hurts when you’re not invited. It hurts when no one checks in when you miss school… when no one sends the work. It hurts when they whisper, when they move away as you walk past, when they call you names, not even bothering to do it behind your back. It hurts when you feel alone… even when you’re surrounded by people. It hurts so, SO bad to feel lonely.
Loneliness makes us believe lies about ourselves, too. Lies like I’m not good enough for them. Not pretty enough. Not popular enough. These lies… the enemy’s lies… they get to us and they make us hurt even more.
It really, really hurts to feel lonely.
Friend, I’ve felt lonely before. I’ve been there. I’ve hurt. But I don’t know the loneliness and the pain you’ve felt. I don’t know how you’ve been hurt or who by. I don’t know what your friendships are like. But I do know someone who does. Someone who will never leave you. Someone who will be with you through the highs and the lows. Someone you have a true friend in… Jesus.
It’s true! You have a friend in Jesus! A friend you can turn to when all your earthly friends turn away. Jesus doesn’t just see your pain either, he knows your pain. When Jesus was on earth, He was let down time and time again by His earthly friends. He was let down when Peter, John and James fell asleep after He’d asked them to keep watch whilst He prayed. He was let down when Judas betrayed Him. He was let down when Peter denied Him. Jesus knows what it feels like to be let down by one’s closest friends. Jesus had a relationship with His Heavenly Father, but He knows of the pain of earthly loneliness too.
So friend, when you feel burdened down by the weight of loneliness, know that you have a friend in Jesus. He wants to draw near to you and to comfort you. He offers you his hand and wants you to cling onto it, like how a baby squeezes onto the finger of her father. He wants you to cling on to Him and know that He will never let you go.
Jesus loves you like a child, but he likes you like a friend too. He’s there in the darkest night when it feels like no one else is. He’s beside you when they laugh and call you names. He surrounds you as the tears stream down your face because you’ve been stood up by your ‘friends’ yet again. He’s with you when you sit alone at lunch wondering why no one has joined you. Your earthly friends may shy away from the bad parts and the ugly days and the tough situations but Jesus sees it all and He is with you through it all.
So sweet, sweet girl, remember this: you may feel lonely but you are never really alone because you have a friend in Jesus. And oh, what a friend He is!
Not So Perfect 
You have no idea how much I needed to hear this today, thank you so so much. I have struggled for years and years and years always being on the end of friendships where I get left outside the door, avoided in the halls, and shooed off when I don’t fit it with the group. So thank you for this gentle reminder that I am not alone 💛
Also I never thought of Jesus being lonely and an outcast, but you are absolutely right. He was separated from his heavenly father and sent to live in a world full of despair and betrayal. And to be away from his father, the king of all kings, and sent to live in our broken messed up world must have been the loneliest experience ever. But he did that just so we would never have to experience that same loneliness and always have a friend in him! Thank you so much for these sweet words of encouragement and I hope you have a lovely day 💛
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Precious Allie, my heart aches to know that this is something you’ve struggled with, I can’t imagine the pain you’ve felt. I’m glad that this was an encouraging reminder for you though ❤
And I love how you put it about Jesus living through the 'loneliest experience ever'. I certainly find comfort in the knowledge that Jesus probably felt more alone than I ever have… and that because of that He knows exactly how we feel when we're feeling alone. What a friend that makes Him! I hope you have a lovely day too, sweet friend! 💛
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This is a lovely and important reminder. Thank you for sharing, Megan!
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I think it’s definitely good to remember that we’re never alone because we always have a friend in Jesus! Thank you for reading and commenting, Esmeralda! 💛
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This was super encouraging, Megan! I’ve felt lonely for quite sometime by now.
Although I have friends whom I text, it seems like they don’t really care about me. Like with one friend, I may text her and then she doesn’t respond for a couple of weeks, and then she texts me but it’s about something else; completely ignoring my text. And with another friend, we may be texting back and forth, but sometimes she won’t respond back to my last message, like if it’s a question.
It’s annoying mostly, and it feels like I don’t have any real friends. They feel mostly like acquaintances to me because they never really give me the chance to get to know them. There’s only one person in my life whom I consider a close friend, and we’ve actually met through blogging last year. It’s a blessing, but I find it quite strange that the person I’m super close to is one I’ve never met, unlike my other “friends.”
This comment is getting long, but this post was such a beautiful reminder of how we’re never truly alone. God is always with us and will never leave. He wants us to grow close to Him because He wants a relationship with us. How lovely is that! I desire to allow my relationship with my Savior to blossom into a friendship. He wants it, so I want it too. 💜
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Heaven, that sounds so so hard 💛 I can’t imagine how painful it must be for you to have to deal with those friends, they sound like really tough relationships. My heart hurts to think of how you must feel as you struggle with these friendships, and although I don’t know what it’s like for you, I want you to know that Jesus does. Like you said beautifully in your comment, we are never truly alone because God is with us always and He desires a relationship with us. I know from experience that season of life where we don’t feel like we’re surrounded by the best friends are really tough, but I think it’s so comforting to remember that Jesus is with us in every season of life, not just the good ones or the bad ones! I’ll be praying for you in those two friendship you mentioned, sweet Heaven. Much love 💛
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This is beautiful! Great post!
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This is something I’ve always really liked about Christianity. The fact that Jesus was sent down for others to hopefully experience the world through him and know different. We’re always taught that the epitome of faith is to have steadfast belief without proof but there’s something to be said for living and learning by example. God was driven and passionate about sending down a leader to earth who would sit with the people, humbly, and see from their perspective. It’s not even about stooping down to our level but about remaining humble. Knowing that somebody who defeated sin itself experienced this world and found good in it, drew depth and truth out of people, is so reassuring.
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This is the first post of yours I’ve read (I just came from your interview with Maryam) and WOW!! This is so beautiful written and I know that God has given you an amazing talent of sharing the Word! Even though I’ve known that Jesus is always there when others aren’t, you found a way to write it that is so personal and blew me away again because of the amazing love and comfort he gives. Can’t wait to read more of your posts!
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Wow… Natalie… this comment made my heart sing, you are so so sweet! I’m so glad that you liked this post! Thank you for visiting and reading and commenting, girly! 💕
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