Isolate yourself from isolation. Some people were stir-crazy on the second day of the covid shutdown. It took weeks for others to start pacing the floor. Some people get majorly stressed if they go 24 hours without human interaction, while others get majorly stressed if they go eight hours without some solitude.
Regardless of where you are on the spectrum, everyone can get sucked into a desire to withdraw and isolate from others when a misunderstanding, miscommunication, misrepresentation, or any rejection (real or unreal) takes place.
Collins Dictionary says, “If you isolate yourself, or if something isolates you, you become physically or socially separated from other people.”
Isolation is dangerous!
Nothing positive ever leads to isolation. The root is always destructive. What leads to isolation is poison. Isolation is a breeding ground for addictions like anxiety, fear, anger, resentment, bitterness, etc.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 to separate ourselves from uncleanness. But there is a difference between separation and isolation.
In the physical, when one part of the body separates itself from the head or another part of the body, the separated part either degenerates and becomes useless, or else it dies.
In the spiritual, when one part of the body separates itself from the head (Christ) or another part of the body (the Church), the separated part either degenerates and becomes useless, or else it dies.
If you feel the impulse to withdraw, run the other way. Fight the urge to isolate yourself. Insulate yourself from isolation.
A great way to protect yourself from isolation is to create several voices in your life that can speak to you, and you listen and heed even when you don’t understand or even agree in the moment. Find some peers in your life. If you are a man, find some men. If you are a woman, find some women. I suggest four to five. Connect with one each week. Alternate between them.
Staying connected will create a safety zone for you. They will pick up on attitudes and spirits that are deceptive and bring those to your attention before they become a problem. This dynamic will inevitably go both ways, and you will be a blessing to them as well.
Please don’t isolate yourself unless you isolate yourself from isolation. If you don’t have connections, contact me. I can connect you with someone to start the process for you. I’ve been doing that for years.
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