Our city, Memphis, is known for a lot of things in a lot of different ways; one big way: our music. It’s difficult to argue against the fact that we are the homeplace of “the birth of blues.” Our most famous person among a huge cast of well known musicians is Elvis Presley. His birthday is this week and our city will be flooded with visitors. His Memphis home, Graceland, is one of the five most visited home tours in the United States, and, after the Whitehouse, is the most famous home in America. Over 500,000 persons visit Graceland each year.
A few years ago, a friend from Australia visited us. She was the wife of Alan Walker, a Methodist minister who was as well-known there as Billy Graham was known here. In fact, He was so well known for his ministry and service to the nation that the Queen had knighted him, Sir Alan Walker. Our visitor was Lady Winifred Walker.
When we asked what she most wanted to see and do while in Memphis, the first thing she said was, “I must visit Graceland.” When we talked about what seemed to be her most significant priority, she said when she returned home, the first thing the youth with whom she and Sir Alan worked would want to talk would be Elvis.
Though world famous Elvis was a lonely person; he died in loneliness. One of his popular songs began,
Are you lonesome tonight
Do you miss me tonight
Are you sorry we drifted apart?
And closed,
Now the stage is bare and I’m standing there
With emptiness all around
And if you won’t come back to me
Then make them bring the curtain downIs your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight.
Neither fame nor fortune are walls high enough, to keep out the ghosts of loneliness.
Psychologists tell us that loneliness is one of our greatest problems... Few, if any, fail to understand the language and emotion of the psalmist:
I am . . .Like an owl of the waste
Like a lonely bird on the housetop. (Psalm 102 :6-7)
Health risks associated with loneliness and social isolation are comparable to the dangers of smoking and obesity, increasing mortality risk by up to 30%.
The reason loneliness is so horrible is because God made us for relationships, relationship with each other, and relationship with him. He made us to need each other. After creating Adam, he created Eve, because he knew, “It is not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) As I move into this new year, I’m going to be more intentional about my relationship with God and with others because it is clear that is the antidote for loneliness.