“So do not fear, for I am with you;
 do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” -Isaiah 41:10
This transitional period in my life has been hard. Not just because I’ve been fighting or because I’ve been working hard to keep the faith. It’s been hard because it’s been lonely.

Loneliness is subjective, right? Oftentimes we can declare loneliness yet we are surrounded by many people. My version of loneliness came primarily because I felt like no one understood me and my struggles. I felt like I couldn’t express myself nor could I grow and expand with people. What I came to realize, however, was that this isolation period was necessary. It was exactly what I needed to grow.

Loneliness brings forth a lot of self reflection. Initially, my views of myself were defeating. I didn’t think I could do it, I wasn’t sure if my decisions were great, and I definitely didn’t know what I offered to this world. These thoughts were built upon comparing myself to others, not having a strong sense of power, and not understanding the journey of life. It wasn’t until my period of loneliness took a turn that things started to come to light. It wasn’t until I started to ask for help, got in an ugly cry or two, and tried to redefine my narrative that things started to look up. I definitely can’t, and won’t, give myself that much credit though. Y’all know who hooked it up.

God has a funny way of putting us in situations we don’t want to be in so that we have no choice but to look up at Him. Being isolated and lonely left me with no where else to turn. All my efforts led to dead ends. I got tired of putting in so much effort with no real results. The breakthrough came when I got fed up. As soon as I got honest and told Him how irritated I was with myself and my situation, peace started to come through. It wasn’t instantaneous, but with God nothing usually is.

As the shift started, God started working on me. That’s when the fight began. That’s when the self reflection resumed. This time however, I wasn’t looking so much at my apparent failures. Instead, I focused on how I could grow and mature. Spiritually, this became my top priority. I wanted to become closer to God. I wanted to believe that all the promises He declared would actually be a reality for me. God took my desires and started to make them the reality I hoped for. Not to say that all is perfect and crystal clear, but those periods of isolation matured me to a place where I finally felt secure. There’s no need to feel inadequate when God is behind you.

I say all of this to offer encouragement. If you’re feeling alone, misunderstood, isolated, or just doubtful, it’s normal. I encourage you to self reflect and find the gaps in your peace. Once you’ve identified them, take it up with God. Watch how God will honor your honesty and start to make moves in your life. As I’ve stated before, God doesn’t play with His kids. You’re limitless. Take the time to grow and mature in the Lord and watch what begins to happen.

Look up, twentysomethings!