I live in a mountain valley. There is a fairly large city about 90 miles away, and to get there, you have to drive over the mountain pass and then take the interstate for a while before you get to the city. In the mountain valley, the church I am at is the only one of my affiliation, and the nearest one is about 45 miles away.
There are times when I can feel very isolated from other people who share the particulars of my faith life. Yes, I and the leaders from some of the other churches get together, but I know that there are opportunities for the churches in the big city to get together more frequently than the times when I join them. I don't hold that against them, and in fact, am very happy that they have that opportunity.
As I was visiting Russia, however, I truly learned a bit about isolation. Meeting other church leaders, I heard stories of them having to travel 48 hours on a train to get to the place where we were all meeting together. Even on a day when traffic is bad, I can still get to the big city in about two hours. That's when I started to learn what it really means to be isolated from others who share faith.
As in practically all things, there are both strengths and weaknesses to isolation. One strength is that I rarely feel I have to look over my shoulder to see if someone is watching over what I do with suspicious eyes. I don't feel pressure from my peers, or feel like my every thought or decision is being overly analyzed and scrutinized. This allows me to work and carry on God's ministry without having to worry about being judged if I make a misstep, or if someone dislikes what I do or how I approach a particular situation.
But this also leads to a major weakness of isolation, one which I feel very keenly. I am the kind of person that loves to bounce thoughts and ideas off of other people. I enjoy the give and take that comes along with thinking through problems or situations with others. I have come to see the value in that, just like the one Proverb says, As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. In relative isolation, this is something I keenly miss.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for these men in the Siberian part of Russia who endure such isolation. I also see how they take intentional steps to battle against the isolation. Each week, they all have time on Skype, where they communicate and connect with each other. In talking with a number of them, it really seems that they are quite regular about this. I admire that, especially when I see men here in America who take the regular meetings that we have for granted, or avoid them because they don't agree with others in the group.
Isolation makes the world seem so large. Connection and communication with others seems to shrink the miles (or kilometers, if you will). I know, on my part, I really value the time I get to spend with others who share my faith. My hope is that those of you reading this will also come to more highly value the time you get to spend with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
There are times when I can feel very isolated from other people who share the particulars of my faith life. Yes, I and the leaders from some of the other churches get together, but I know that there are opportunities for the churches in the big city to get together more frequently than the times when I join them. I don't hold that against them, and in fact, am very happy that they have that opportunity.
As I was visiting Russia, however, I truly learned a bit about isolation. Meeting other church leaders, I heard stories of them having to travel 48 hours on a train to get to the place where we were all meeting together. Even on a day when traffic is bad, I can still get to the big city in about two hours. That's when I started to learn what it really means to be isolated from others who share faith.
As in practically all things, there are both strengths and weaknesses to isolation. One strength is that I rarely feel I have to look over my shoulder to see if someone is watching over what I do with suspicious eyes. I don't feel pressure from my peers, or feel like my every thought or decision is being overly analyzed and scrutinized. This allows me to work and carry on God's ministry without having to worry about being judged if I make a misstep, or if someone dislikes what I do or how I approach a particular situation.
But this also leads to a major weakness of isolation, one which I feel very keenly. I am the kind of person that loves to bounce thoughts and ideas off of other people. I enjoy the give and take that comes along with thinking through problems or situations with others. I have come to see the value in that, just like the one Proverb says, As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. In relative isolation, this is something I keenly miss.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for these men in the Siberian part of Russia who endure such isolation. I also see how they take intentional steps to battle against the isolation. Each week, they all have time on Skype, where they communicate and connect with each other. In talking with a number of them, it really seems that they are quite regular about this. I admire that, especially when I see men here in America who take the regular meetings that we have for granted, or avoid them because they don't agree with others in the group.
Isolation makes the world seem so large. Connection and communication with others seems to shrink the miles (or kilometers, if you will). I know, on my part, I really value the time I get to spend with others who share my faith. My hope is that those of you reading this will also come to more highly value the time you get to spend with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
I am often amazed at this same thing. Back in July, my parents and I attended a service for our church while they were out here visiting. We decided to check out a congregation in a small town where we were staying for the weekend. More than half of us there were visitors! I was amazed at their faith as they gather in such small numbers.
ReplyDeleteThis in no way compares to the people you met, obviously, but we all face our own isolation throughout our lives. As soon as we meet people, like those in Siberia, who face isolation on a more extreme level, it is a reminder to us that we are not alone.
God has reminded me of this numerous times, so apparently I forget it from time to time! No matter where we are, we have our Savior who is with us in this journey of life, whether or not we understand it or just understand it on different levels. I imagine that the isolation is even much greater for those who have no understanding of this.
And isn't technology amazing? How wonderful they all get to communicate via Skype.