Why we should not live in Isolation

Feb 9

I open up Facebook and there it is. “UGHHH, not AGAIN!! I mean, thank you sooo much Lord that I have so many wonderful friends but COME ON. Another invite in only one week???” My heart starts beating a little quicker than normal.

“What am I talking about? I actually really want to go. I LOVE my friend..I want to celebrate this life event!! I don’t know why I get like this…..(sigh). Hmm….what will I wear when I feel so ugly..blech? What if there are people at the party that don’t like me? What if people ignore me? What if my gift is not good enough? I don’t know…maybe I just won’t go.”

These are the thoughts of someone like me. Someone who battles depression and anxiety among other things, like introvert tendencies. Don’t get me wrong, I love people. From far mostly. Which is weird, because deep down inside I desire to be around the people I love. My mind and body do the opposite. I’m always left feeling like I’m some awful person. Like a weirdo.

Does any of this resonate with you? Wanting to go to the party but not wanting to come up with a plan for all the “what ifs”? Wanting to be connected, but preferring to be at home in comfy pj’s? Wanting to reach out to people but not having enough energy to do so?

I battle this daily. This pesky part of my life that leads me to isolate when I need help the most. It leads me to believe no one would care whether I show up or not. I usually hit the “can’t go” button so they are probably used to it anyway right?

Depression, anxiety, and introverted tendencies are what makes other people think I do not like them. Think I am anti-social. It leads to offense when I do not go to the “thing”. Can you see the pattern of lies here my friend?

Do not buy into the lies!

I remember a time where I told very few people about my battle with depression and anxiety because I believed and accepted lies like:

“You should be embarrassed”

I was too embarrassed to tell people. Like somehow it made me a “bad Christian” or “weak”. Like I was at fault for struggling with mental illness.

“No one will understand you”
I felt like people did not understand me. Don’t get me wrong, some people didn’t. And that is OK! I learned that there was actually an easy solution for this issue. All it took was me explaining what this illness is like for me specifically. You’d be surprised at what a difference that made for both me and my cherished loved ones.

“No one cares, do not think so highly of yourself”

I felt like no one cared. Like it didn’t really matter to anyone what I was going through.

“This is your punishment for (fill in the blank) from your past”

I felt like I deserved it. Like my past mistakes were catching up to me.

“You realize some people will be glad?”

I felt like some people would be happy I was depressed because they felt like I deserved it or because they didn’t like me. Maybe I had offended someone and didn’t even know it so obviously they would be happy justice was served, right? Absurd, I know.

Although everything I just described may sound irrational, it was very real to me. The Bible is clear about the enemy being on the prowl to devour you. “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. Unfortunately, isolation did not allow me to stay alert. Isolation actually weakened my defenses.

Do not go through life alone

We need people who will remind us of God’s word, who will love on us through our battle, and who

will pray for us on a regular basis so that we CAN stay alert!

Here is what I have learned through my personal battle with depression. You cannot and SHOULD NOT try getting through it on your own! You need people who will help you fight those lies with God’s truth. Isolation is never a good idea, especially when battling something like depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.

Let me ask you something? If you want to move your hand you just move it, right? You do not really think about how it works. Did you know the brain and nerve cells in the spinal cord work with the hand to make it move? In other words, it is not ONE body part that makes the movement, but many body parts working together to make that movement. The hand NEEDS the other body parts to successfully do what it is designed to do.

When God spoke through Paul in the letters to Corinth, he made it very clear that we are individuals, yet one. “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27). When one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers.

This is why verses in the bible like Romans 12:15 instruct us to “ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” We are to act as one body. God designed it this way! There are people in the church who were meant to help you! People who God has prepared with a testimony that will help you with your own! People who love you, are for you, and want to help. Do not buy into the lie that you are a burden, that no one cares, that depression or anxiety is somehow your fault, that no one will understand...and so on.

Get around the right people

Get around people who love the Lord, follow his instructions, and will be supportive!

Do not be afraid. Do NOT do this alone! I cannot stress enough you NEED people who will support you. Who will pray with and for you. Get around people who you trust. People who have also gone through a similar experience and came out of it victoriously!

TALK TO YOUR LEADERS! I cannot stress that enough. Pastors choose leadership carefully for reasons such as this. They know that the leadership are people who practice biblical principles and are bearing good fruit!

I pray that the Lord heal you both in the natural and supernatural.