Alone

Most of us have a circle of family and friends. The circle can be large or it can be small but there is a circle for most of us. I know a fellow that has a very small circle. His circle is not only very small but very fragmented. It's interesting to see what develops later on in life with people. We all travel down a road that eventually comes to an end here on earth. It's when you get to the end of the road that things become a bit more ominous. There are many more things that threaten the once secure feeling that you had as a young person. More things are behind you than ahead of you, at least on this side of eternity. This fellow that I know has a tough demeanor about him when you discuss spiritual things with him, he seems to change into someone else, some other person. He goes on the attack by denouncing much of what most people believe about God. He's angry about something.

Just recently there has been a little crack that has opened into this man's hardened heart. His natural heart might be in trouble. He has been diagnosed with some heart problems and for the first time I have seen a bit of fear in his eyes. I pray that the Lord will use this as an opportunity to open his eyes and ears to reveal the real love that God has for him and that the Lord himself will become his closest friend during his time of need. After all, his circle is very small and so his options are limited.

There are millions of people like this in the world. They need no one it seems until tragedy or misfortune comes and then they begin to feel like they are in outer darkness and very much alone. I would call this kind of life an imprisonment. We are all capable of building our own prisons and they all can look quite different. The walls can be made of different ingredients. This man has a wall of bitterness and a wall of shame. Some of us have walls of selfishness and fear. I can tell you this much, these walls are real and they ruin the most precious gift that God has given and that gift is freedom.

I understand this scripture a whole lot more now:

Luke 4:14-19

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.