Not Alone: Drawing Near to Christ in a Socially Distant World

Written by Charles R. Swindoll | In our new coronavirus world, being together has become a rare and treasured experience. As the “invisible enemy” named COVID-19 continues its relentless march around our world, we remain apart to curb its spread. “Social distancing” has become a strange, new norm.

I realized recently that there’s a major difference between being distant from each other and being absent. Distance keeps us from touching one another, from meeting together. But being distant doesn’t mean we can’t talk to each other or see one another. Thanks to technology, we can do both. We may be distant, but we’re staying connected. That’s not nearly as severe as being absent. Absence suggests being alone, isolated, displaced, lonely . . . even lost.

Absence reminds me of a man I read about who went swimming in a large lake around dusk. While paddling leisurely about 100 yards offshore, a freak fog rolled in. Suddenly, he could see nothing. No horizon, no familiar landmarks, no lights or people on the shore. Since the fog diffused all light, he couldn’t even determine the direction of the setting sun. For about 30 minutes, he splashed around as panic took hold.

He would start off in one direction, lose confidence, and then jerk 90 degrees to his right or left. He felt his heart racing, beating fast in his throat, before he would blindly strike out again. Others weren’t just distant from him—they were absent. He felt totally LOST. At last, he heard a faint voice calling from shore. He pointed his body toward the sound and swam to safety.