Loner's Got To Be Alone

One who has isolated himself seeks his own desires;
he rejects all sound judgment.

Proverbs 18:1

We've all seen them...the "loner" who is portrayed as some hardcore survivalist who can do everything alone and they like it that way.  Nothing bothers them. They don't follow anyone's rules but their own.  They eat when they want (whatever they can find or catch), do what they want, where they want and no one is going to tell them anything! They believe they can live all by themselves without going insane or paranoid.  And yet...

Remember God?  When He created everything He said it was good...until He got to man.  When He breathed life into Adam, God said "It's not good for man to be alone."  Why?  Because God created us to be interactive with each other.  But somewhere along the way, the interactive part became rather cliquish and exclusive.  If you didn't fit into the cliques then you were considered a "loser" and, thus, a loner.  

I admit that I enjoy doing some things alone. When I go for my mandatory walks, I like to go alone because that is my thinking time.  When I write, I like to do that alone because my train of thought doesn't have to make frequent stops due at Chatty Town.  Understand, I am an Introvert!  Very much an Introvert.  In a large gathering, I am perfectly happy to stay on the fringe, quietly watching the people interact with one another (why YES I did notice this is your 4th trip to the buffet line.  Yes, I did note your 3rd trip to the dessert bar. I absolutely noticed how quickly that bottle of wine disappeared.)

But look at today's verse...it is reminding us that when we have only our own counsel to listen to, we will eventually spiral into a place where sense makes no sense anymore. When we reach the point where we stop listening because we are such a loner that we know everything (or so we think) we are doomed to ruin.

It might be a bit uncomfortable, but, as a devout Introvert, I can tell you that people really are pretty nice.  Why else would God allow so many of them?