As valuable as Christmas is, I’m always glad when it is over. This article is about being a natural LONER, and FELLOWSHIP. My quandary is this. I’m a natural loner, however, the Word of God, my standard for living, tells me to evangelize and fellowship. As a matter of fact, I am to be as sisters and brothers with my Christian family. All three of those words require a closeness that does not come easy for me. Sister? Brother? Family? Wow.

I grew up in the country on a small farm. I had one younger sister and we didn’t hang that much, because we didn’t really gel all that well. I grew up wondering cornfields and woods, alone, talking to God. It’s hard not to hear Him in those conditions. So my childhood was rather solitary and I adapted to that. It became what was natural for me.

I was a loner at school, too. Making friends did not come easy. I rode 45 minutes each way on a bus to a city school. Most of the kids new each other because they lived in the city and had been in previous schools together. I was lost. But again, I adapted. I finally made friends with a small group of outcast. We outcast, not in the click, drifted together.

Added to all this, God made me a writer, and many writers are also naturally solitary as they need quiet time to think and write. I am at home in solitude. My wife is an exception to all this. We are as one. I miss her when were not together. But I do have my “man cave” where I get away to study, think, and write.

Now here comes Christmas with all of it’s family time and socializing. I’m all for it! But it leaves me exhausted! I know I’m socially handicapped, but I try. LOL. Every Christmas I feel like I have left home and traveling. Then Christmas is over and I finally get back home! Back to the routine and things I love. Back to my quiet times with God. HOME SWEET HOME! That’s how I feel.

BUT… HOWEVER… God’s Word still tells me to come out of my cave and be LIGHT, be LOVE, be a WITNESS, be FAMILY. So I must obey because I know God’s Word is right, and knows what is best for me. I know that God’s supernatural operates in my life when I live His Word, and it is my delight to do so. It may feel like doing a hard workout at a gym in order to stay healthy and strong, but it is WISDOM! It is wisdom to live in harmony with God’s Word.

Now get this, as a loner, I did not realize just how important the FELLOWSHIP part of this thing is. But I happened to notice one day, as I was studying the early Church in Acts, I noticed the early Church had emphasis on fellowship almost more than anything else! Are you kidding me? Now what am I going to do? But this really helped me see the importance of socializing with our Church brothers and sisters, and society as a whole. Consider these scriptures and notice where I emphasize. Acts 2, starting verse 41. >

“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and FELLOWSHIP, IN BREAKING OF BREAD, and in prayers.”

(VRS 44) “Now all who believed WERE TOGETHER, and had ALL THINGS COMMON, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”

(VRS 46) “So continuing daily WITH ONE ACCORD in the temple, AND BREAKING BREAD FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

As a loner, those verses are very challenging for me. Thank the Lord, living as a commune was not God’s ultimate goal. We are to scatter like salt and saturate the world. I believe this is why persecution was allowed to come and break up the huge group growing. That might be my next article, the importance of small groups. Salt shaken from the big salt shaker.

So…in conclusion… I believe in the value of holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc, to help get us hermits out with people and family. God has put an emphasis on fellowship. Do not forsake your assembling together, especially in the last days! (Avengers assemble?)

But I’m also always glad to get back to my chosen daily disciplines. I have a few friends who are what I call social butterflies, and sometimes I envy them, but none of them have written a book like me. Or even do a blog site. Reading even seems to be hard for them. One of them did discipline himself to read more, and has done well at it. He “learned” to like it. But obviously, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and it all is intended to work together, as differing gifts in the body. We are a body. One body.

Final point: If you are a natural loner like me, we got to make that extra effort to become brothers and sisters with our fellow Christians. And we got to make that effort to rub elbows with society and hope the light of Christ rubs off on them. It’s not what comes natural to us. But we can “learn” to do. I was such a loner I had terrible stage fright. Then God called me to be a teacher. That was so hard for me! It still scares me to this day, but I have learned to love it. Something I never thought I would be able to do. When we obey God, He enables.

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas, and kept Christ in your Christmas. Now we look forward to a happy New Year. Not to be a downer…but 2025 worries me. Keep the prayers going. Amen.