Choosing Lonely
Recently I was listening to Becoming Us: Joel and Moriah Smallbone.
It’s a short, cinematic podcast about their relationship and marriage. For those who don’t know, Moriah Smallbone is an independent Christian artist and also part of an all-female band called Trala.
Joel Smallbone is the lead singer of the band For King & Country.
They both have stages and platforms - separately and now together. One of the interesting things they talked about was the process from engagement to marriage and how there were moments of loneliness for Moriah. This led me to a couple of thoughts I would love to share.
There are moments in life where God asks us to choose - He asks us to choose between the crowd and the more lonely path. For every leader - like Joel and Moriah Smallbone - there is a moment of sacrifice. This moment says that you recognize God has called you to a platform. Due to that platform, you occasionally stand alone in your role and not many others understand.
On a personal level, I relate. I’ve been given so many opportunities from the LORD that most 29 year olds - not even most 60 year olds - do not get to see. I’m currently the executive director of a pregnancy medical center, Chair of Tirzah Ministries, and helped found another non-profit. This has been so incredible and a testament to God’s grace and mercy. There came a point I had to make a decision, however. I have so many people I love and enjoyed hanging out with. However, I had to decide if I wanted to be a voice FOR the people or stay among them.
What does this mean? I was raised in the inner city with a family that didn’t have a lot but loved each other well. My family chose to love the least of these and live with the single moms, drug addicts, and teens who were lonely. I grew up hearing their stories and have an intimate understanding of the inner city world. There came a time, like Esther, where God told me I could live among the people, but I had been placed in positions where I could represent them.
Some days I feel like there are people who don’t understand my choice and there are friends I dearly miss because they couldn’t understand it. However, I have also found God’s blessings in abundance. The moment I chose the lonely option and positions, God did something cool. He surrounded me. I was suddenly surrounded by people to support me. There were people who were older/wiser, people in other parts of the country with similar jobs, pastors who called to check on me frequently, and friends that instead of going further away came closer than ever!
Maybe you’ve been offered a unique position. Maybe you have been called to do something that seems scary. It may be a new place or a new relationship or a new job. Know this - if God has called you to it, He will be beside you the whole way. As you step out in faith, He will bring the right people for a new season to run alongside you!
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” - Esther 4:14
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alycia Marie is a free-spirited wanderer learning to find roots. She currently resides in Milwaukee and serves the community of southeastern Wisconsin. You can typically find her outdoors, as long as it’s warm, hanging out with family/close friends and meeting soon-to-not-be strangers. In her spare time, she writes, drinks chai tea, and builds non-profits, homes, families, and people. Some people like to call it missions. She prefers well-digging.