Pull Up Before You Crash

Today I was talking to someone that said they were down and depressed, sad and lonely.  This person said, ” I don’t like my life. I miss companionship. I am very lonely. I have acquaintances but no friends. No friend that I could call and say let’s go for coffee.”  In the very next breath they said, “You know I’m a loner.” 

I asked them what they were doing to change that. The question startled the person. “How can I change that? It’s just how it is!”

My heart ached for this person. So I began telling the person they would need to get out of their house, first, no one was going to knock on their door asking them to be their friend. I wasn’t being ugly or smart, I was making a point…it was totally in their control, at least thise first part is.

I went on to explain, to have a friend you have to be a friend. I inquired if he had thought of going to the VA Hospital one day a week and volunteering. What a delight that would be for the men and women in the hospital. And how about checking with the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Ronald McDonald Houses, etc., they all can use volunteers to help out. I explained when you are busy helping others you get out of yourself, and belive it or not you get a wonderful feeling inside that your life really meant something that day to someone else. I told him if he would continue doing this, he would begin to make friends and start enjoying his life. This was the second part.

He grunted,  “I know I should, but right now I just don’t feel up to it. I will wait and see if the depression medicine the doctor gave me helps, then maybe I can do it, maybe I won’t be so down.”

There was nothinig else for me to say, but I wished him well and walked on. Under my breath I lifted him up in prayer, that he would change his mind, and step out to make new friends and help others. I prayed this person would pull themselves up, get out and help others where they could meet and develope friends  before they crashed and burned.