Is it “Ok to be alone?”

In Genesis 2:18, as God was creating the world,  he said, “It is not good that man should be alone…”  At first, I guess I just didn’t understand.  Why would He say it is not good when everything else until that point that He had made “was good”?  You see, I thought it was great to be alone! I’m alone at home.  I am a single professional (not even a young one as one would usually think), I live with my two large dogs, cat, and parakeet.  My baby, my daughter, is a freshman in college, while my oldest is married now and has two little ones.   Interestingly enough, I don’t think I have been truly happier then I am now.  (I do have a “relationship” which I will discuss later on)  I checked in Psychology Today for articles on being alone.  One, and I cannot recall the name of the article, did state that being alone is not healthy. Gasp! Ok, now I really started to do some research!!    What I did find, thankfully, was that there is a big difference between being alone and being lonely.  Being lonely is involuntary. One can feeI lonely even when one is married! It can lead to depression and a slew of other health problems.  Whereas, being alone not only is voluntary, but it is also an opportunity to grow, reflect, and enjoy all the blessings the Lord has given you.  Amen!  Now we’re talking.  No wonder I love being alone!  But….now I needed to reconcile my feelings and knowledge with what God was saying in Gen.2:18.  It seems that not only did God think ahead about our physical and emotional health, but He also knew that man and woman, a couple, would need each other.  Complement each other.   It is our responsibility to be a blessing to each other, to help each other grow.  Therefore, ask yourself, “Am I helping my partner to grow?”

Is it ok to be alone?  Absolutely!  Whenever we can we should have our “alone” time. However, we still need each other and should seek to help each other, see how we can bless others, and how we can help our partner grow spiritually, and emotionally.  How can we help each other be a better person?  When we do this, and keep ourselves Christ-centered, of course, our relationships can’t help but grow!

I realize I haven’t given many details, but I would love to hear your comments.