#34 - Isolation – A Lurking Danger
“Act Like Men – Men’s Leadership Podcast
Show Notes
This topic is especially subject to us being passive or active. The topic is ISOLATION. Some men, slowly drift into isolation without realizing it. For other men, they make a deliberate choice to isolate themselves and it is important to understand the emotional trap and consequences that isolation gives to us.
WHAT
In his book, Overcoming Barriers Men Face, Dr. Jim Grassi, the founder of Men’s Ministry Catalyst wrote about the barrier of isolation that each man may have to face at some point in his life. In his book, Jim begins his challenge of overcoming the barrier of isolation by reminding us that throughout all civilizations, the worst level of incarceration for the punishment that you can give someone is solitary confinement, and yet when it happens in a man’s life we often fail to recognize the pending evil that isolation can bring.
Looking back over our lives, the most unproductive and difficult times in our lives are in isolation. It can come when we may think we are doing the right thing but have moved away from the relationships that may be the most opportune times.
SO WHAT
Dr. Jim Grassi cautions that even though we may be surrounded by people in our roles in business or ministry, we can still be isolated by choosing to keep people at a distance. He also concedes that solitude for a time is biblical in its practice and Jim mentioned Moses, though tending sheep mostly alone for 40 years before leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. Jesus too, sought solitude at times to prepare his heart for what was to come in his ministry. So the discipline of solitude is not what Jim, or Scripture for that matter, warns us about. However, we are warned that when solitude turns into isolation it becomes a threat to our personal growth and our relationships with Christ and others.
NOW WHAT
We are reminded of the foundational point that we first must Recognize Who We Are In Christ. We must remember that we are part of God’s family, and individually and collectively we are the body of Christ. This is where we are to serve others and use our unique gifts to build up the body of Christ. Second, we must Actively Seek Regular Fellowship as found in Hebrew 10 where we are encouraged to spur one another on toward love and good deeds and not give up meeting together.
Third, Jim reminds men to Love Our Wives as Christ Loves His Church. You can’t do that in isolation from your wife or the church. You must be actively engaged to love at that level. Fourth, we need to Seek Out a Christian mentor and find a Godly man of deep character and then give him access to speak into our life. Last, we are challenged to Meet Regularly with a Spiritual Partner, someone who wants to grow in Christ.
These key points of application will not guarantee that we will not face the barrier of isolation, but when we do, we will have a way of overcoming isolation and neutralizing its threat in our lives.
Personal Application from this topic:
*Much of the information in this Podcast was taken from Dr. Jim Grassi’s book, Overcoming Barriers Men Face. This and other resources can be found at: www.mensministrycatalyst.org/resources
