by From the National Institute of Health on Aging: “As people age, they often find themselves spending more time alone. Being alone may leave older adults more vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation, which can affect their health and well-being.”
A 2023 report by the U.S. Surgeon General, titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” links loneliness to risk of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, cognitive function, and premature death. This report goes on to deduce the major healing effects of social connection, explaining how our level of social interaction results in better or worse health.
Loneliness is not the same as being alone, and many times it’s self-imposed. YES, God may have a purpose for our isolation, just as He did with Jesus in Matthew 4. NO, God does not expect us to remain in this state, Jesus’ was only 40 days. Whether it’s God ordained or not, the reality is that it seems difficult to escape the despondency and loneliness ─ many times it takes help from others to break through these powerful bonds.
Read Psalm 139. This chapter reveals God’s omnipresence (all present), omnipotence (all powerful) and omniscience (all knowing), all afforded to us. Wherever we are in life, when no one seems to be there for us, we can trust God who promised, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). This is greater than anything Super Sixties can do for you. Our part in God’s plan, though, is to fulfill His definition of “pure religion” found in James 1:27, “to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.”
This is the purpose of our Super Sixties Ministry, to visit and to raze the barriers that rear up in your later season of life. As we do our utmost to be there for you, we implore you to take your steps also — steps toward godly social interaction that will ease the pains of loneliness, that you can be used of God to further His kingdom among those around you. A first and lasting step is to join us for our monthly luncheon, the Super Sixties Connection.
