With the Speech and Debate Season ending abruptly, I felt the need to ask my students to reflect on what God has shown them this year (just like I did with the Senior Devotional Challenge). All of my online speech club students came up with amazing devotionals. I was blown away by what my students had learned, and how God spoke to them, encouraged them, and comforted them. The devo below stuck out to me, this too has been on my heart. My student allowed me to share it with you. Lasting Impact’s Spring Quarter starts next week. If you have a student that longs for connection, I encourage you to check out our class list. Each of these classes are community. Do not let finances hinder. Contact us, if aide is needed. Now more than ever our students need a sense of belonging. Classes are online, only 5 weeks long, and for ages 10-18. Click HERE for more info… to be encouraged keep reading…
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”
This time last year I remember saying to a friend of mine that I speak to from time to time that I finally felt comfortable with my social life. I didn’t have many friends but I was content with the amount I had because we were close enough where, I could talk to them any time and I was comfortable to talk with every day. Maybe that sounds small to you but for me it was a big accomplishment. Some things happened with these “friends” and one by one we were not as close.
By December I felt horrible most of the time, I was in musical called, “A Christmas Carol” and we had performances most nights, it was very hard because I didn’t have anyone to talk to there because that group was not very nice. I was also rehearsing for “The Sound of Music” but because I had so many conflicts, I could hardly attend rehearsals there, which made it very difficult to make friends. I was around people all the time, but I felt lonely. I felt as though I was failing to talk to people since there were so many people around me. I didn’t know you could feel lonely while you were surrounded by many people.
Loneliness defined by the Oxford Dictionary is defined as “sadness because one has no friends or company”. I think everyone has experienced the feeling of loneliness at one point in their lives and some more than others. For me personally I’ve felt lonely kind of frequently throughout my life, it takes a lot for me to feel close and comfortable with people. I’ve had close friends throughout my life but for a certain amount of time. At this time, as most people are staying home and all their social activities have been canceled, I can imagine many people are experiencing the feeling of loneliness. There are many people that are alone in their homes, alone in a hospital room, and/or don’t have people to connect with over the phone/text.
In these times we must remember to rely on God to comfort us and remember the pain is temporary. Sometimes the feeling of loneliness is so strong and hurts so much that you can physically feel the pain in your heart or other places like a weight. That’s what sadness does, to us it makes you feel weaker, but we must remember the Bible verse Isaiah 41:10 that God is always with us and when we feel lonely God will hold us up and be our strength. Pray and ask Him to comfort you because God comforts the friendless. Remember to check up on friends you haven’t talked to in a while, they may be struggling with loneliness and you thinking about them could make their day!
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APPLICATION – I have talked a lot to my students about communication. But are they only just going to tournaments and reciting a speech?
- Challenge your students to pick up the phone and make a phone call.
- Write their own devotional. Make them think about what God has done for them. How did He work through them this season, despite the results. I promise you, they will be blessed, and they will bless others.
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