An excerpt of stats from a Boston Globe newspaper article...
"Loneliness is becoming a major health problem. In 1950, only 10% of households had just one person. In 1994, it had moved to 24%. Fewer than 10% age 25 to 44 live alone, but about 25% of those age 65 to 74 and about 40% for those over age 75. Some remain very happy- but supposedly only about 1/3. A 1990 Gallup study indicated that about 36% of Americans are lonely. More statistics:
- People who are isolated but healthy are twice as likely to die over a period of a decade as those not isolated. A study showed that the more isolated men are up to 25% more likely to die of all causes at any age versus non-isolated men. The odds for women are 33%.
- Living alone after a heart attack significantly increases the risk of dying.
- People with heart disease have a poorer chance of survival if they are unmarried or do not have someone to assist them.
- Women who are alone and have breast cancer live half as long as those who are not alone."
WOW! Those stats ALONE speak VOLUMES about the contrast between "being alone" vs. "being in fellowship" with others. That's direct impact on your PHYSICAL health! How much MORE impactful are the SPIRITUAL consequences of choosing to be isolated...away from regular fellowship with others? Note that "being alone" doesn't mean "unmarried." Single men and women have just as many opportunities as married men and women to be in regular "fellowship" or "social contact" with others. Living in "isolation" is a CHOICE...married or unmarried. It's a state of heart, mind, AND action. Gwen has written and spoken often about man's innate, GOD-ordained need for FELLOWSHIP. If you visit the Weigh Down Chronicles website and type "fellowship" in the search box, you'll pull up SEVERAL of Gwen's Posts that reference GOD'S desire for people NOT ONLY to have a right relationship under Him, BUT ALSO to find others who love GOD...and be in regular FELLOWSHIP with them. Jesus spoke of fellowship and lived a life of fellowship. He constantly was surrounded by people. Whether it was the Apostles and others who seemed to be with Him at every turn...or the thousands He spoke to, fed, and performed miracles for...or the one-one-one encounters with a woman at a well or a crippled man who wanted to walk...Jesus PURPOSELY put Himself in situations where He was interacting with others. And He is our example...isn't He?
Look at the boom that is internet "social networking." We've talked about it a lot on WDWB and in these Blogs. At the heart of social networking is a desire for people to CONNECT. For those who aren't as comfortable in big, person-to-person social settings, welcome to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Instant Messaging, Chatrooms, etc! NOW, the options for connecting seem almost endless! GOD has seen fit to allow the opportunity for fellowship to be INSTANT...SO...He must have a vested interest in the process. If the vast majority of EVERYONE longs to interact, then why the loneliness stats? We ALL have felt or we at least know others who have felt LONELY...even in the MIDDLE of LOTS of fellowship/social interaction. The world's most popular and supposedly "connected" entertainers, athletes, politicians, business leaders, and musicians often feel the MOST lonely. So what's the KEY...the ANSWER...the SOLUTION to conquering loneliness and living a life feeling TRULY connected? This Post by Gwen, "The Right Fellowship," gives us our answer. It is having the RIGHT FELLOWSHIP...the RIGHT CONNECTION...with the RIGHT PEOPLE! Fellowship in the Name of, obedience to, and love for GOD ALMIGHTY is the key. Do you want to NEVER feel lonely again? Stay CLOSE to these Weigh Down Ministry teachings, which POINT you to others who love GOD wholeheartedly. In THAT kind of fellowship, THAT interaction, THAT connection...there is peace, love, and fulfillment. It's TRUE...the Apostle Paul said it...that "bad company corrupts good character" (I Corinthians 15:33). And it also is TRUE...as Gwen writes in her "The Right Fellowship" Post, "The more you obey (GOD), the more you will want this daily walk and fellowship with GOD and the Saints. You will never feel lonely again, for you are not alone."
Stay plugged in and connected here. We LOVE helping people find others who share this love for GOD...and who have found a peace, joy, love, and happiness in their hearts that never goes away. From online coordinators to participants, everyone here WANTS to share with each other...and with YOU...how AWESOME this life is and can be for ANYONE! We'll talk MORE about the importance of FELLOWSHIP today on WDWB LIVE, 3:30pm CST. We hope you'll join us! If you can't listen to the LIVE airing, check out our PODCASTS, and you'll be able to listen later to today's and LOTS of our past LIVE Podcasts. Make the CHOICE to CONNECT with the right fellowship of people. It's essential to the life you WANT to live!
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