Last weekend we experienced a first.

On Saturday we did a few things around the house, went to the mall, and decided to take in a movie for a change of pace.

Exodus: Gods and Kings had opened the night before and it sparked an interest in me to see it.

Jackie, knowing my need for a break from the recent extended stays at home while I continue to chart the course for the future employment scene, sacrificed time at the mall to give into my desire to see the movie.

What a bummer for her.

What a dual answer of prayer for me – I got to see the movie and I got out of roaming the mall amidst the wandering masses doing their Christmas shopping!

We opted for the mid-afternoon show to get matinee pricing.

Not happening!

The afternoon showing was in 3D at a premium price. Instead of it costing less than anticipated it cost more.

We opted for a new experience as the cashier handed us our 3D eyewear.

As I put mine on I felt like Clark Kent about to jump into a phone booth, ready to be transformed into Superman.

Jackie had the intriguing look of a beautiful librarian behind her Foster Grants!

As the movie started, we both played with the glasses wondering what the movie looked like with and without them.

Without the glasses, the movie seemed fuzzy and out of focus.

With them, images seemed like they were about ready to hop into our laps, coming out of nowhere and entering our vision-space from the left, right, top, and bottom of the screen.

It was kind of cool!

I was curious as to how 3D glasses worked and found this tidbit online:

“A 3D film viewed without glasses is a very strange sight and may appear to be out of focus, fuzzy or out of register. The same scene is projected simultaneously from two different angles in two different colors, red and cyan (or blue or green). Here’s where those cool glasses come in — the colored filters separate the two different images so each image only enters one eye. Your brain puts the two pictures back together and now you’re dodging a flying meteor!”

In case you are interested, a more extensive explanation can be found here.

Life, at times, tends to be like a 3D film being viewed without the 3D glasses meant for the enhanced experience – it can appear out of focus and fuzzy.

To be honest, it appears out of focus and fuzzy more times than any of us are willing to admit.

I tuned into a local radio station program this morning where the topic centered on people experiencing loneliness at this time of year – most specifically loneliness due to the loss of a loved one.

I am not a Beatles fan. Never was. Never will be.

However, they wrote a song, Eleanor Rigby, with the opening stanza painfully reminding us of what many experience:

“Ah, look at all the lonely people. Ah, look at all the lonely people.”

During the Christmas and holiday season many people travel this isolated road.

The loss is magnified as someone, someone you loved, is no longer around.

Those around you may be festive and joining in the yuletide swing of things while you may be – simply there and numb to all which might be happening around you.

I don’t mean to minimize what you are experiencing down to something which can be altered by offering you a tip or two.

However, I saw this article online which might help you as you experience grief and loss.

The loss you may be experiencing could be recent or it could have occurred a while ago.

I think of my Dad who passed away in 2001.

At any given moment all seems well then all of a sudden a song might be played or a memory hits me and tears form in my eyes.

I have no choice but to go with the flow.

The absence of the person is a constant reminder of someone who once was and who no longer is physically present – in your life.

You are lonely.

Your pain is very real.

Allow me to say I am sorry you are going through such a painful period, especially during this time of year.

I won’t be trite and offer a cliché –like response such as “this too shall pass”.

The pain will soften through time. You will begin to reflect more on what was good than focusing on the pain.

The memories, many of them good ones, are still there and come to the surface.

Allow them.

There is healing water in the tears.

Our immediate and external family experienced this on Christmas Eve a couple of years ago when my wife lost her Mom.

The pain of this loss, especially for those close to her, still stings.

Your pain, most likely, still stings too!

Can I suggest something?

It’s OK if you are experiencing this.  You are human and it is normal.

Despite the glasses through which you may viewing your own movie, you are not alone.

Christmastime is both for giving and receiving.

As you experience loss, your scales may dip more to the receiving side than the giving side.

That too is OK.

Allow others to step up to the plate, swing the bat, and help by random acts of kindness or simply being present.

Not to diminish the loss of a loved one, there may be other reasons why you may be experiencing the pain of loneliness.

They too are to be validated.

A loved one may be serving in the military and won’t be home this Christmas. You hear the song, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and it’s more than you can take.

A marriage may have dissolved and now what was once familiar, the family being together, is now dissected into whose house who will be visiting.

Visiting, it seems so uninviting.

There may be a hole in your heart and you feel like you are living under a dome, isolated from others, as you ponder the actions of a wayward son or daughter.

Over the course of the past year and a half, I have personally experienced at least four co-workers lose their employment. My heart went out to each of them.

I tried to imagine what they might be experiencing, but unless one walks in those moccasins it is hard to know how and what they might be feeling.

I don’t have to imagine any longer how they may feel as I too am paddling the Job Loss River as I make my way downstream to the next landing spot.

Scripture tells us this:

“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 (NLT)

I say this not to draw attention to myself, but to simply say our vision is partial at best.

At times we are seeing a 3D film without the benefit of 3D glasses.

To be honest with you, I too have had moments of loneliness during this unexpected season of my life.

Those moments have been brief for which I am grateful.

However, the pain at times is very real. There are moments where the walls seem to make their way to the center of the room.

The micro-moments of loneliness have been eased through the many phone calls, texts, emails, messages, gifts, hugs, and prayers of those in my life.

Jackie has been a rock through it all, offering her love, encouragement, and understanding!

Don’t for a moment doubt your ability to help another over a hard spot which can help them see life through a different set of lenses.

Whatever the reason you may be lonely right now – the loss of a loved one, experiencing a hard time in your life, unemployment, or simply feeling a little detached, please know you are loved and not alone.

During this time of year we talk much about the babe in the manger, God’s gift to mankind in the form of baby who became a man to liberate and free us.

One of my favorite songs is “O Come O Come Emmanuel”.

Emmanuel, a reminder that God is with us and for us!

Last night we had the opportunity to attend a Christmas concert at the local community arts center.

A guest soloist, Danny Gokey, whom we had not previously heard offered through song a good dose of hope to all who heard him sing.

In short, he was awesome!

A former American Idol contestant, Danny recently released a new project called Hope in Front of Me and a book by the same title.

Danny is a young guy and lost his first wife, Sophia, unexpectedly during complications involved with a surgery. He admitted thinking of suicide in the dark places in which he found himself during his season of grief and loneliness.

He found HOPE or to say it more succinctly, HOPE found him!

I share this lyric video of his song, More Than You Think I Am, as a pre-Christmas gift to us all.

I had to wipe a few tears away as Danny performed this song live at the concert.  The truth sunk in!

The message is one of hope and recognizing Emmanuel, God with us, is more than we might think He is.

Slap on your headset or get away by yourself and allow this musical gift to speak to you.

Right now you may be seeing life with an unclear set of lenses, imperfect at best.

One day you will see more clearly. Bank on it.

He will catch your tears and dry your eyes.

He truly is more than you think He is!

If you know someone who might be experiencing loneliness during this season, please feel free to share via the Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn links or by using the button to forward by email..