The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not discouraged. DEUTERONOMY 31:8, NIV
Before my first son was born, my wife and I spent a week on the island of Cozumel in the Caribbean Sea, just off the coast of Mexico. Our hotel was right on the beach, and every day we’d sit by the water and talk, read or listen to music. Every day I’d spend an hour or two in the waters snorkeling on the nearby reef. At night we’d get on a moped and go into town to find a restaurant to eat at. Later we’d hang out for a while in the park where children and families came together each night.
One day we decided to venture to the southern tip of the island, where I was told, the snorkeling was supposed to be better. I wasn’t sure what to expect but when I got there; as a matter of fact, there was no one else there. I had been told that the reef was a couple hundred feet out, so I got in and started swimming out. I was a little nervous going all the way out there alone, but the reef turned out to be amazing, and I spent a good half hour exploring the reef before I stared heading back. That’s when I was something ahead of me. It was a huge manta ray with a wing span of at least fourteen of fifteen feet. My heart pounded, and once the ray disappeared I remember suddenly feeling very alone.
Loneliness is something a lot of people struggle with. If you are a person who sometimes feels lonely, know that God himself is with you always. If you know someone who seems lonely, consider that maybe God has placed you within reach of that person to help bring them out of loneliness and despair.