A Thought About Guarding Against Isolation

Previously I spoke about the pain of ‘Isolation’, especially within the context of marriage.
So, why is it that we hide from each other?
It’s because we fear we will be hurt.
Intimate relationships can be painful and they can leave deep lasting scars.
No human relationship endures more hiding and hurting than marriage.
It is within this most intimate of human associations that people seek to know one another and be known.


It is tragic that many people marry so they won’t be lonely anymore, but soon find themselves lonelier than when they were single. I had a friend who once told me that she was glad she was single because she didn't know anyone who was happily married.  She said she would much rather be single than stuck in a loveless marriage with no hope of escape. Sadly marriage can fast become more like a prison, far from what God ever intended it to be.
Majority of marriages suffer from isolation at one point or another and few people in marriage realize how desperately alone they really are. Often a husband and wife begin drifting apart so slowly that they hardly recognize the slide.  Then, after a few years of hiding and poor communication, they realize that their once romantic love has grown completely stale. That’s why many successful looking marriages aren’t much more than two successful people independently doing their own things: they aren’t friends and they aren’t real life partners. They just happen to live in the same house.
So, how do you defeat this drift into isolation?

Well, the answer is simple. The single most important thing that you can do to strengthen your marriage is to pray together. When there are problems, when there are differences, when you need to ask for guidance, and even when there are reasons to rejoice, prayer is the key to a strong and healthy relationship. Few things in life are more intimate than praying together; sharing your hearts and souls and bringing your concerns to the Creator. A strong marriage takes hard work and deliberate guarding against isolation. Begin praying together early in your marriage, you may find it to be one of the best decision you ever made.

Phil 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will

guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.