Have you ever had a time where you felt that you were alone? That no one could relate to what you were going through and no one cared? I have. You feel like you are on an island with people passing by you, seeing you but just not caring. Recently I went out of town and God opened my eyes to others that feel isolated everyday. He showed me how even through the smallest act, you can break through the walls of isolation.
First I met a young woman who is deaf, she is a beautiful and brilliant woman. But she daily struggles with communicating to the hearing world. To her its her everyday life, but I was acutely aware of how much work communicating with hearing people was. How alone she was. I want to be clear that I am not being critical at all of the deaf community because I have been learning more recently of their culture. My observations are the first time I personally witnessed how life must be life without hearing. My heart broke to see how many people didn’t try to communicate with her.
Then on my flight home, sitting in the terminal at the airport I saw an older woman who was in a wheel chair just sitting alone. Watching people pass by her unaware or simply ignoring her. As we loaded the plane I thought about her; who is she sitting with, will she go her whole day alone, how is she feeling? My heart soared when I was seated next to her. She spoke Spanish and I know some but not near enough to effectively communicate with her. I did the little things that I could, to make her feel seen.
To isolate means to cause a person to be or remain alone or apart from others. I was given a glimpse into how my next year will look, surrounded by people I cannot communicate with. How will I reach them? How will I break that barrier? I hope that I can show them love, that the small things will make a difference. I want to show them that no matter how they are feeling isolated that there is hope, there is a God that loves them and deeply desires to know them and make them seen. To bring them into the community of the body of Christ. For those reading this know what you are seen and you are loved. You are not alone. Don’t be afraid to reach out, you can make a difference in the world.
