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Love for the Lonely

Pastor's Piece, by Mark Baines

 
It's winter time here in Sydney and the days are shorter, so we tend to spend more time indoors. Covid is still hanging around and Melbourne is in another lockdown. This means people will see others even less. For those who were lonely before Covid, this season has just made life tougher. Loneliness is increasingly being seen these days as a serious public health problem, for the young and old, with links to not just poor mental health but also physical health. That's right, loneliness can break you down. A number of years ago Mother Teresa knew this, stating that:

"The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love."

Most of us are being encouraged to get vaccinated against Covid right now, but what do we do for those (of us) who are lonely? Mother Teresa and Jesus would agree, that the answer is love. But how do we get the love to those in need? How can we know who needs a dose of love?

One way is to pick up the phone and call someone, send a text, knock on a neighbour's door. Ask them how they're doing. Spend time. Show care and compassion. Even those you might think are doing OK can be the best at masking loneliness. Even people in a crowd can feel so alone. But most of us know what it feels like when someone shows compassion in our time of need. We can love like that. We can make a difference in people's lives.

"Love each other just as much as I love you." Jesus via John 13:34

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