Lonely Hearts

Every great work of literature, any decent song, every story has one thing in common. They all center around one crucial topic, one essential element around which all life revolves: loneliness, a lack of love, fractured and broken relationships. Oliver Twist was born an orphan because his mother felt unloved, and could not return home to her father in disgrace. Huckleberry Finn set sail down a river because his father saw him as a key to a bank account. No story which lacks this element can have any power, because no life lacks this element. It is the root of all suffering, all want, and all hate.
If we could remove the loneliness, fill the void of emptiness, then all would be well with the world. Utopia is never a deserted island, no matter how lush and green. Our need for fulfilling relationship drives all that we do, and every story teller knows this. Young Tom Riddle had no family and no friends, so he created a cult around himself full of dedicated followers who terrorized the world. An author cannot create characters being aware of their loneliness and relationships. They define us.
Romance, friendship, and family all center around this truth; we need each other. No person can make it alone. Frodo would have died long before reaching Mordor without Sam. Clark Kent works at the Daily Planet not only to be better able to solve crime, but to build partnerships with the people there. We were created for relationship. It is in our genes, and everything we do tells the truth of that need. No bridge, no skyscraper, no simple meal is created fully from scratch by one person. Economics tells us that when we share our resources and skills, everyone benefits.
Every great good stems from people serving this great need. Every act of evil arises when people attempt to fill this need by other means, but still lack love. We hurt because we have been hurt. Building relationships is difficult because we fear rejection, which is worse than loneliness. Nancy stayed with Bill Sikes, a man who clearly did not love her, and met her death at his hands. She courted destruction rather than live alone.
Tragedy is often built on the conflict between love and social duty. People will defy centuries old tradition for a person, and Romeo and Juliet will never be forgotten. Their story is true for all who cannot find love because the world blocks their way--and for no good reason, and no good gain. We write ourselves into a tragedy every day.

Jesus came to fill this greatest need. His ministry was about reaching out to the lonely hearts and forming relationships that offer help, healing, and comfort. His miracles of healing were not the greatest gift he bestowed on the sick; he showed them that he cared. People who felt that no one cared, who lived on the fringes of society and could find no way out of the mess they were in came to him because he loved them. These people could not find acceptance anywhere else, society rejected them, but Jesus accepted. He understood our deepest need, and taught us how to fill it.
Love as Jesus taught is fearless. Fear weakens every relationship, and makes us weak because we cannot be ourselves, we cannot give all of ourselves. Without fear, we can do anything. Fearless love is the greatest power on earth. When we do not fear, we do not need to hesitate to give what is needed. We do not worry about consequences. We simply love. We do what is best for others, ourselves forgotten. Fearlessness is recklessness, and this is good. All too often, good deeds are stifled by fear.
We can only know this fearless love because Jesus loves us. The holy spirit communicates that love, and helps us to carry it out in our lives. His love gives us grace and confidence to continue on no matter what the circumstances. Despite our imperfections and failings, we know that God loves us. No matter what, if we turn to him and admit honestly what we have done, right or wrong, it will be ok. Because we have his love, we do not fear rejection. We can turn around and show the world the love it needs. No moral boundaries or evil deed can put us beyond love.
As Christians, our job is to reach lonely hearts and show them this love. We have to pass on the healing, and teach them to love themselves. When we know we are loved, we have the strength to give. That is why the church body is so important. Without family, the heart of love, we are nothing. Our relationships make life, and our relationships will carry on through eternity. They are the treasure we store away.
Love the unloved. Because they need it. Because you need to do it. We were not made to live alone.