No, really....I'm fine!

Loneliness is not my friend. It never bothers with me when I am at home. It waits until I'm in a room full of people, sneaks up on me when I am least suspecting (and most vulnerable), and smacks me in the face...sometimes with enough force to bring tears to my eyes. In all of five seconds I go from shock, to embarrassment, to confusion, and then the realization that fight as I may, I'm only going to be capable of holding those tears back for a few more seconds. In acceptance, I race to do whatever needs to be done to hurriedly retreat into the darkness. Only there can the tears fall unseen and unknown to anyone but God. I'm not a big crier. I hate no one's tears but my own. I'm so thankful I have a God who not only sees my tears, but collects them. Those tears I loathe with a passion, God records them and cries with me. Loneliness may attack, but God comforts.  Loneliness cannot win! I love how David puts it in Psalm 56:8-11 NIV [with a little paraphrase from me.]

8 Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll—
are they not in your record?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
when I call for help.
By this I will know that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can [loneliness] do to me?

Then, just like that, with a few tears and a quick prayer and praise, God hurries to my side. He comforts. He strengthens. He wraps His loving presence around me...and I am fine.