Young People Are Lonely Too — Morning Devotions

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Transcript

When we speak about lonely people, do you immediately think of an older person perhaps living alone in a small unit somewhere without contact and all alone? I think we probably do. But I’m looking today at an interesting article from Australia’s Anglicare Christian organisation, which may surprise you, it certainly surprised me. Professor Patrick Robinson says that loneliness is affecting young people aged 18 to 30 in alarming figures, not only in Australia but in other countries as well.

A study has found that in Australia, more than 1 in 3 young adults report problematic levels of loneliness. So what’s happened here?

Loneliness is not a word that’s often associated with young people. We tend to think of our youth as a busy time spent with family, friends, being engaged with school and work activities. Why are young people feeling lonely? As far as technology goes, we have never had it so good. Anyone of any age can make contact on social media without leaving their home. The world has never been more connected.

Companies are laying millions of miles of fibre optics and shooting satellites into space. Kids all around the world are texting each other on mobile phones, and yet today there is a sense of feeling disconnected, misunderstood or emotionally unsupported even in the presence of others.

And that’s a cause for concern as we want to encourage the younger generation to enjoy life, to find fulfilment and happiness. It seems social media and the internet do allow instant connection, but this is often a shallow substitute for real human interaction.

For example, on census night in 2021, only 56.8% of young people who are aged 25 to 34 were married or living with a partner.

Now that’s a big jump from many years ago when more young people got married, finding companionship and shared life experience. We do need people around us to explore life, to encounter the challenges together so we’re not alone.

The challenges of the post-digital era are different, and young people are the ones living them in real time. Previous generations might have experienced loneliness in the absence of company, but today’s young people can feel lonely in the middle of a group chat, and that leads to more feelings of discontent.

The Christian faith reminds me that God made human beings to be meaningfully connected with Himself and other people.

No amount of internet use will substitute for God, we are created for relationship, in fact, the first thing God said was it’s not good for man to be alone.

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God said that humans were not made for isolation. We were made for connection. Why is that? We were created in the image of God. The Bible tells us also that God is love, and to love you’ve got to have somebody to love. Jesus tells us in John’s Gospel chapter 10, I have come that you might have life and have it to the full.

In close relationship with Him, we can experience not only joy and contentment but more fulfilling relationship with others as well.

I don’t know anyone who enjoys the negativity of life by being detached from others. And when you experience closeness with God, every part of your life is transformed: your decisions change, your priorities adjust, and your heart finds peace, and life is different.

There is a difference between believing in God and wholeheartedly trusting Him with your everyday life. When we begin to trust God and His character, we can more readily extend toward and trust others.

Can you try this every day this week?

Repeat to yourself three truths about God: He is with me, He is for me, He has a reason for why I’m here.

And then get to know Him by reading the Bible. You can discover who He is and what He’s capable of. A good place to start is in the book of First John.

And when you start to really connect with God through His word and focus on His character, you’ll find your value in Him, as well as the priority you set for your life, to love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love others as yourself. That’s from Matthew chapter 22.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, one of any age can feel lonely. We know this ourselves. Some of us are really lonely, and yet we know that in You we can find true meaning and satisfaction. Help me, Lord, to reach out to people in a meaningful way and to find satisfaction in the good things that happen in life. Amen.

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