"Surviving The Cold, Lonely Place"
Written by
Diane Yuhas
I love reading stories about the early pioneer days, tales about women who, with their husbands and children, left the relative comfort of the east to be swallowed up in a vast, unknown Westward Ho! How heartbreaking to leave your parents and friends behind, knowing you will likely never see them again on earth. And for what, but to face backbreaking hardship, adversity, and eventual death at the hands of a world not yet conquered.
These women endured almost unimaginable difficulties, overcoming mammoth obstacles, and surviving life without a safety net. They pressed on through illness, injury, raids, lawlessness, bear and buffalo, riding rough to reach and conquer the mid and western lands. Here they laid foundations of rock on which to build homes and raise families. Here they worked the ground to lay seed and roots. Because supplies were expensive and difficult to come by, they had to learn to use whatever was available, namely the flora and fauna of the land. Practically everything they owned was made from the wood and stone around them. It must have been so difficult for those who weren’t very handy or creative. They simply had to improvise or do without.
It was the same for their friendships.
In those early days, people were few and far between, scattered throughout a harsh, untamed land. There were no near neighbors. In fact, they routinely went for months at a time without seeing a single soul beyond their own household. Girlfriends were mostly memories back east. There were no telephones, and mail was rare. Church consisted of your own family seated around the hearth. Certainly there was no social media or hanging out at Starbucks.
Can you imagine living in such isolation? No friends nearby. No morning calls to your mother. No girlfriends with whom to share moments of joy or sorrow, except on the rarest occasion. How lonely! I have read that the hardest thing they had to endure in those days was not the roughness of the land, but its devastating loneliness.
I can’t imagine how anyone could have endured this kind of life without Christ.
To survive and thrive, our believing pioneers had to dig deep into the solid rock of Christ.
“They [had to be] like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built”
(Luke 6:48).
It is the same for us.
Sometimes all that comforts us is gone and we are left to endure or perish. Sometimes our friends or husbands leave us. Sometimes we leave them. Sometimes God leads us into the wilderness, just as he led Jesus there.
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness ...”
(Matthew 4:1)
The pain is excruciating, the loneliness unbearable. What happens to our hearts when we find ourselves in that cold and bitter place where friends are few and help is far, far away?
When there is no one left to rely upon but God, will you wait on Him?
Consider the kind of seeds you’re planting right now in the soil of your heart. Choose seeds of faith and not despair. Remember the word of the Lord that endures forever:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
(Romans 8:28)
This is not a cliche´. It’s a promise. When you find yourself in a lonely wilderness, look to God. Give him your bruised and broken heart. Let him bring you through the wilderness. Immerse yourself in scripture. Lay the foundation of your future in his word and promises. God’s promises are for you.
"Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
(Luke 1:45).
Throughout this wilderness:
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God”
(Ephesians 3:16-19).
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”
(Ephesians 3:20).
Find Diane Yuhas at her blog by clicking on to this link: http://dianeyuhas.com
Diane, thank you sweet lady. This is a beautiful post that touched my heart greatly. You have such a gift to touch the reader and bring glory to God. Oh, how I have walked through the desert and felt lonely, but praise the Lord, He restored my soul. He brought me out of the isolation and surrounded me with people who love me and most of all I found complete comfort in Him. Sweet blessings to you, Diane. You have an open invitation to come back any time. Friends, if you have been touched by Diane's words feel free to leave her a message here. It is a wonderful gift to share!
