A World In Need

The other night I found myself feeling so very, very lonely. So I went and browsed the Craigslist personals. It was not my proudest moment, but there you have it. I was so lonely that I thought I could alleviate it by reading another person’s cry of loneliness.  Not everyone was a villain (although many were). Some were genuine, some false, some young, some old, some only wanting physical contact, and some simply wanting a soul to communicate with. What I found broke my heart a little. I even forgot that I was lonely in the face of a thousand wounded and hurting people. Every single person had one resounding cry…

“I am lonely, I feel alone, I want someone to hold me, I want someone to hear me.”

Every misspelled, well-communicated, sad, goofy, romantic, angry, hypocritical, genuine, or whiny post was an attempt to fulfill a deeper need than I think any of us really understand.

We don’t want to be unloved, uncared for, unheard.

Because in reality, we are all pretty unlovable. We have addictions, scars, and habits. Some of us are ugly, fat, slow, or sad. Not everyone will be healthy, wealthy, and wise. At the end of the day we will all grow old and still struggle with the hurts of our youth.

Even you, reading this, know everything in your soul that makes you question your worth. All the lies told, wounds given, or rotten thoughts. We all know that small fear…of being found wanting, and losing the love we all crave.

But the absolute truth is that we are all worth loving, and we all need it desperately. So why is the whole world hurting for the same thing? It’s as if every person on earth is starving to death, each with food they cannot eat, but that could feed their neighbor.

Go and love someone today. Love them for real. Love them without condition. Love them the right way, and without expectation of return.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not selfish, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”