Loneliness, Christmas, and How “two is not twice one”

“There are no words to express the abyss between isolation and having one ally. It may be conceded to the mathematician that four is twice two. But two is not twice one; two is two thousand times one.” ― G.K. Chesterton

The literature on people dreading the Christmas season shows that a primary reason is loneliness. A substantial group of people feel lonely during the holidays. Maybe because they’re just inclined toward a life at home, online, living in isolation. Or maybe because they lost someone they love, someone close to them died. Or maybe an important relationship was damaged beyond repair.

If you’re such a person, can I give you my best advice? Please don’t isolate yourself. Find someone. Someone who is following Jesus well. At least one someone. Make it your mission to befriend that person and to love that person well. Connect yourself with that person, yes over the holidays but also permanently. Invest in a regular ongoing long-term in person friendship. Even better is to find multiple such persons but, as Chesterton wrote: two is not twice one but two is two thousand times better than walking with Jesus alone.

Notes:

Image of best friends via William Fortunato on Pexels