Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

~James 1:27 NLT

Their faces told their stories.

Some had adapted well, but loneliness ate at others. Some resided there because family members didn’t want to care for them. Doing so would have inconvenienced their lives. Others had outlived all their family members and had none to care for them. And still others, like Mom, lived there because they had medical needs that could not be attended to in a home. They needed skilled nursing care.

When my wife and I visited Mom, we stared into those faces. We spoke to everyone we passed who gathered in the common areas or sat by themselves in a hallway or entranceway. The reactions varied. Some just stared at us and gave no response. Others returned our greeting. And still others smiled or waved at us. We heard their stories without hearing a word.

And for those who had family and friends, the visits from them varied. Some came daily, some weekly, some monthly, and, like us, some twice a month. Mom’s condition seemed to worsen the more frequently we visited. And our stress level and state of mind worsened with it.

But nursing facilities are not the only places where loneliness abounds. According to one source, approximately one in three U.S. adults experience loneliness, with 20% reporting feeling lonely daily. Loneliness is recognized as a major public health crisis. And although we can be lonely in a crowd, isolation impacts mental health, cognitive function, and early mortality rates.

According to James, pure religion entails caring for at least two lonely groups: orphans and widows. Skilled nursing facilities and assisted living homes are filled with widows and widowers.

But we can also find lonely people in churches, prisons, workplaces, community organizations, and our own families. How we care for them varies by situation, but care for them, we should.

Most of all, in our time of loneliness, we can remember that our God is always with us. He has promised never to leave or forsake us. When we trust Him as our Savior, He seals us with His Spirit—thereby giving us His permanent presence.

The Spirit guides us in our times of indecision, comforts us in times of trouble and loneliness, gives us wisdom for life, helps us understand God’s Word, and directs us to those with whom we need to share God’s comfort.

Let every day be your cheer-up-the-lonely day. And if that person is you, turn to your inner Comforter.

Father, guide me to the lonely person You would have me comfort.

 

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2026: Cheer Up the Lonely: Martin Wiles: All Rights Reserved.