Refocusing

We all have those days. Those days where you just feel on the outside, not yourself and frankly, alone. Sometimes there seems to be a lot of those days and other times many days go by before you experience one. Whatever the case may be, I think that it is safe to say that everyone knows what it feels like to feel alone. I think that is a large part of being human.

I had a few of those days this past week. There is probably a number of reasons to why this was the case, one though being the fact that I had a cold and just laid low for those days. (Quick side note: having a cold in a hot place is really weird. 'Cause you have all the classic symptoms of a cold; headache, sore throat, runny nose etc. BUT you are not cold, you are freakishly HOT and sweating. Just weird.)

Now, I know what you are thinking. "DUDE you are on a freaking TROPICAL ISLAND right now, you do NOT have the right to complain about anything right now. I DON'T CARE if you are feeling a bit lonely or feeling a bit under weather. GET OVER IT."

There is a point to sharing this other than complaining I promise.

Someone once posted this quote as their facebook status on the subject of loneliness that I just think is fantastic. So here it is:

"A thought on loneliness: As humans we crave belonging, we need the connectedness to others that brings security- but this connectedness can prevent the natural movement and evolution that we need in our lives. It can also get in the way of creativity and stifle the natural loneliness that pushes us to discover something new, that pushes us closer to God. This loneliness is the loneliness of the individual who steps out of the group, who takes a chance on what can be discovered and done outside of the norm"

-Jean Vanier

There is a lot of reasons why we, as people, can get lonely. And as I said above part of the reason I've felt a bit down is due to the fact that due to my cold I spent a bit too much time on my own. But, I think that there is a bit more to it as well. As I have been reflecting a bit on my week, I was struck by something. It became clear that my focus had shifted, shifted away from my God. I have been forgetting to include Him in all that I am doing. I have been trying to go on ahead and do things on my own strength and in my own way rather than focusing on the whole reason that I am here in the first place.

As, the quote above suggests, a little loneliness is natural, is healthy even. It is this that forces us to get closer to God, to cling to Him. And that is certainly my prayer for the rest of my time here. That I can remember to include God in ALL of it. To let Him guide me. To let myself learn what He has to teach me.