WORD OF THE WEEK -ISOLATION - 9/7/2025

Proverbs 18:1 - “One who has isolated himself seeks his own desires; he rejects all sound judgment.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 - “Two are better than one… If either of them falls, the one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Ephesians 4:1-3 - Therefore, I, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Website:  www.wow-newton.com

Website: www.wow-newton.com
Email:  osnewton@wow-newton.com

Transcript

Proverbs 18:1 - “One who has isolated himself seeks his own desires; he rejects all sound judgment.”



Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 - “Two are better than one… If either of them falls, the one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”



Ephesians 4:1-3 - Therefore, I, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

THOUGHT
There was a time in my life when it felt as if the world and all it had to offer was just not accessible to me. Not because the world had abandoned me, but because I had chosen to abandon the world.



I was young, inexperienced, and afraid. Everything I thought I knew was inadequate, and my life experience was insufficient. I felt like a complete failure. I was constantly embarrassed, unhappy, and depleted of the self-assurance I used to exude. It was my first week of college.



My new roommates probably thought I was weird because, when asked, I only gave basic information about myself. Soon, they stopped asking. I turned inward to protect my fragile and incompetent ego. It became clear: either I change, or I accept the possibility of a lonely existence, where I would fall and fail. My judgment was poor. My choice to isolate from others was the beginning of my first life lesson away from home. I refused to call home.



There are many reasons we choose to self-isolate—rejection, failure, depression, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem, conflict avoidance, being misunderstood, or simply the need to work things out. These can all lead someone to feel alone in a sea of people.



For brief periods of transition or change, those feelings are normal. Sometimes solitude helps us heal and restore our capacity to cope. But when the pattern becomes a way of life, it rarely proves beneficial. God created humans to be social, interdependent creatures, bound by love. We were designed to sustain our existence by caring for and helping one another.



Forced or intentional isolation—whether by institutions or society—has been shown to break down communities and disrupt human development. Psychologists have found that such isolation can lead to:


• Trauma and depression

• Cognitive decline and confusion

• Anxiety and psychosis

• Helplessness and loss of motivation

• Developmental delays in children

• Increased risk of aggression and harmful behaviors

God declared in Genesis; “It is not good for man to be alone”.  Yet, each day of our modern, technologically complicated world, human beings are becoming more and more isolated and discouraged from engaging with other human beings. 

The need for social interaction is being stifled by the small gadget in our hands, purse or pocket.  The strength found in tribal interaction is being replaced by the constant access to intelligence, entertainment and non-personal yet social engagement offered through the cellphone.

This is a call to those of us who are human:

- The more that technology invades our lives, the more we need each other to navigate these strange, yet interesting times.

- The more we rely on technology to improve our health, educate our society and connect, the more we need to intentionally engage with one another to sustain and perpetuate our existence.

- The more we isolate from one another, the weaker we become.


During my traumatic but brief time of self-isolation, I learned how much I needed people to support, teach, share, stimulate, motivate, correct and encourage me.  That early lesson helped me navigate the multitude of experiences that have shaped my life. 

We are a human chain that can only be destroyed if we choose to become unlinked. 


I need you; you need me; we are all a part of God’s body.