It's also true that God said that it is not good for man to be alone, and created Eve; has put us in families and spoke of the church as the body of Christ.
We rarely get everything we want in life. Some are meant for marriage but don’t find a partner. Many are born into bad family situations. And the Body of Christ doesn’t function like a family.
Love can’t be forced and it isn’t the generic stuff society promotes. Real love is our willingness to be uncomfortable, sacrifice, suffer, laugh, support, and grow with someone.
I don’t feel that way about the stranger sitting beside me. I’m not interested in your belief. I want to know who you are
IN LIGHT of your faith. Words are easy. But fruit is proof.
Yes, people can have rotten experiences at church
but they may find also that worshipping alone all the time is not always the solution. Yes, those who have, and are able to operate, a computer, have loads of resources at their finger tips.
I never mentioned worshipping alone. Or that they couldn’t do the same with others. Some people have limited access to places of worship or reputable ones. Some are following denominations with no local church. Most people aren’t holed up in a room with no one to talk to.
But I am almost certain that an older, lonely person would prefer to have a cup of tea with 1/2 dozen real friends, than watch thousands drinking tea together on a screen.
We aren’t privy to that person’s life story. We don’t know why they’re alone or lonely. Sometimes our choices create those situations. Or strained family connections. Or the loss of a spouse.
Many seniors aren’t in the same situation. They were nurturing parents who built solid friendships. Their golden years are happy. When people are forgotten there’s always a reason. Good or bad.
But even so, being with others who shared my faith (even if only 2 or 3), singing rousing hymns with others, being asked to read the Scriptures in church, hearing a sermon, and sometimes being able to contribute to a discussion, was all vastly better than the years I spent on my own, housebound, with M.E.
Church filled a void in your life. You gained much because of your situation. I don’t know if you were surrounded by friends and loved ones. I don’t know who provided love and service on your behalf. I hope it was plentiful.
I’ve dealt with two incurable illnesses before the Lord removed them. I wasn’t in church. But I was never alone. Family, friends, and neighbors were exceedingly kind. We were invested in the other. That’s mutual love. They wanted to help. I didn’t have to burden them or hope for sympathy. They loved me. That was their motivation.
When I came to faith and endured horrendous warfare and a spiritual tug-o-war with the evil one. Guess who stood beside me through it all? Taking lumps and blows right with me. They did. And they weren’t believers. They loved me. Watching me suffer grieved them. So they joined me.
That’s agape. I’ve lived it on both ends. Going to church doesn’t mean you’re invested in the person beside you. It doesn’t mean you care at all. Many come to church desiring to fill what’s missing in their lives. They’re focused on self. Not love. Multiply that truth and you have the hollowness we see today.
But when you walk in full without an agenda in mind you see through different lenses. We aren’t ready to love as Christ commanded. We’re very far from that point.
Yes, it was because of illness that I joined this forum, which is mostly a good thing; but there are 1000% more arguments here than there ever were in our church.
I agree. That illustrates my point. We are the body and the body is sick.
