Being Alone

I've stumbled upon another paradox of life!  Here it goes . . .

Are we ever truly alone?  No, never, we have been created in the image and likeness of God and He sustains us in existence at every moment, never leaving us by ourselves; as Psalm 139 declaims, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there." Additionally, we each have a guardian angel sent by God to protect us, as well as the intercession of the saints, especially our Blessed Mother.  Yet . . .

Is it important that we feel alone? Yes!  Without the experience of loneliness and desolation, we forget to turn to God.  We forget to look for Him, because we fool ourselves into thinking we don't need Him.  We have friends; we have family; we have all these people, things, sound, and excitement around us.  So how do we experience that feeling of being alone? We have to shut off our phones, our social media, our music-playing devices and embrace solitude and silence. We have to be by ourselves, even though, ultimately, we're not by ourselves.

I'm not saying I'm good at it.  I'm saying it's important.