We have chaotic meetings, lunch in a crowded cafeteria, deafening noises from public transport. We arrive home, and it is silent. A pleasant respite after a noisy day, but a silence that can become heavy for the singles.
Of course, there are good sides to living alone. For example, we enjoy great independence in our time, finances, hobbies, etc. But there are other less pleasant sides to living alone. During one of our Bible studies, participants shared that the silence of their homes can be difficult to tolerate. Single-parent families do not have this problem: these single parents may even want to find a little silence! But when the children have left the house, and we are totally alone, the silence can be truely heavy.
Discussing the same concern at another Bible study, participants candidly shared their solutions to the problem. A wealth of ideas that it is absolutely necessary to share with all the singles in the world: hence this article! What a blessing God gives us by providing for our needs through His other children! We are truly privileged!
In a past article, we shared ideas to occupy our evenings when we are alone. It is good, for example, to plan an evening to develop our creativity, a different evening to exercise, another to visit the family, and another to prepare to meet a life partner. Of course, we must plan time to invest in the Kingdom of God and to take care of our home and our errands. All of this takes planning. But when our agenda is full, the burden of living alone already becomes less heavy, as testified by Carine, one of the participants in our studies.
To break the silence, many people have the habit of turning on the television. This is not bad in itself, but since the news is not always very positive, many Christian singles prefer to [put worship music][4] in their house. And not necessarily a little soft music! During our discussion, many singles did not hesitate to admit that they often dance alone, singing praises out loud! Other Christians have subscribed to Christian video services or are playing teachings from podcasts. An uplifting way to fill the silence! https://www.passion374.com/en/2017/07/28/the-art-of-worship/
You don’t have to wait for phone calls either. Take the initiative to call your friends and family. Anne-Marie suggested to other participants in our study to strike up conversations with neighbors or passers-by, even if we don’t know them. Going for a walk after a meal is not only excellent for our digestion, but also sometimes allows us to meet beautiful people.
A little shy about sharing her secret, Anna said that to break the silence, she sometimes talks out loud to herself. But as soon as she shared this idea, the other participants nodded. While it’s best not to do this in public, there’s nothing to worry about talking to ourselves out loud when we’re alone. Some people talk to their pets, or their car, or respond to the people on their TV! Which is no different than talking to yourself! One of the benefits of talking to yourself out loud is that it externalizes your inner thoughts. Sometimes our thoughts are not at all like Philippians 4:8 mentions, and it is by listening to them come out of our mouths that we realize that we should not keep these unhealthy thoughts. It is our responsibility to speak words of life about ourselves.
Finally, we must learn to tame silence. It’s not always bad. Sometimes it is God who turns off all distractions so that we can hear His gentle voice.