Living In Isolation

The Hawaiian Island Chain is comprised of 137 islands that are located in the north central Pacific Ocean. Apart from biologists, only seven of the islands are inhabited, with the main population center located on the island of O’ahu. The islands are known around the world as a popular vacation destination. Indeed, you only need to walk along the sidewalks and beaches of Waikiki to realize the truth of this. Hawaii is 2,500 miles away from the nearest continental land mass, North America. A typical flight from the West coast to Honolulu takes about five and a half hours. In every sense of the word, Hawaii is isolated.

When I moved to Honolulu in 1998, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Fresh out of university, I had just won an audition for a great position with the Honolulu Symphony, and everything was going my way. I also knew that I was the only Christadelphian living here. Little did I know the many challenges that I would face living a life in isolation.

Importance of email

One of the largest of these challenges is the loss of opportunity to make and maintain friendships in the truth. This is such an important experience for young people, for when we don’t have friends in the truth, we invariably find them out of it. While this in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, it can lead to spiritual conflicts of interest such as dating outside the truth and peer pressure. The solution to this problem was not to remove myself completely from social contact, but rather to choose my friends carefully. Another great help was to correspond with quite a few brothers and sisters via email. I wonder if Solomon would have thought this proverb of his would still be true from 2,500 miles away!

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Such correspondence is a valuable tool when one is faced with living in isolation. It can be a vital link in the chain of keeping yourself “holy unto the Lord.”

I often think that a life in isolation is quite like what Christ faced for himself in the wilderness. It is interesting to read the account of this in the gospel of Mark.

Mark 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

Here, Mark inserts a wonderful bit of information that is omitted by the other gospel writers. This account reveals that Jesus was “with the wild beasts” at the same time as his fasting. The vivid imagery employed by Mark brings to mind our own plight as believers in this world of depravity and sin. In a nurturing ecclesial environment, it is possible to be somewhat sheltered and insulated from the world. There is no such protection from the world in isolation.

Throughout my years in Hawaii, I have come to the conclusion that the role of the ecclesia as an extended family and support network is its most important function. While in isolation, there is neither refuge nor solace to be found in the ecclesia. The world around you becomes a wilderness just as bleak as the one Jesus faced, bereft of spiritual food and filled with the wild beasts of a godless society. In isolation, this is what I face every day. This is not meant to sound overly dramatic—I live my life just like everyone else, and I have my friends and colleagues at work. There is just a different feeling living separate from the body; you cannot count on anyone but yourself and the Lord to provide direct spiritual support.

Importance of prayer

What is the solution? How is it possible to maintain a kind of spirituality in an otherwise desolate place? I found that the answer is very simple, but yet difficult to remember at times. It’s the answer to any spiritual problem that you will ever face — prayer. Just the simple act of communicating with God is a healing experience that anyone can benefit from regardless of our location on this earth.

Matt. 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

This is the bottom line. No matter where any of us go, to the farthest reaches of the earth, God is always available to hear our prayer. Throughout the Bible, we read of the many men and women of faith. One thing they all had in common was a fervent belief that prayer is the lifeline that God gives us. Prayer cultivates an attitude in us that is pleasing to God.

A prerequisite to prayer is an acknowledgement that there is one much greater than you who is able to change your life. David knew this:

Psalm 34:17-18 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

We must strive to cultivate in ourselves an attitude of contrition and humility, just as David did.

Daniel was another man who knew this when he found himself in an isolating situation in Babylon. To Daniel, prayer was an integral part of his existence. He cried out of the lion’s den to the only one he knew who could save him. Daniel was delivered by the power of God, and so can all of us be when we find ourselves faced with a dilemma.

How we can help

What can the average Christadelphian do to help his or her brothers and sisters who live in isolation? The most important contribution that any of us can make toward a cause within the brotherhood such as preaching or isolation is to pray for it. Effectual, fervent prayer for the brotherhood has a great effect on all of our lives. Awareness is also key. If you know of a brother or sister living in isolation, it would be a great help to drop them a line, just to let them know that they are not forgotten.

A life in isolation has the potential to bring out in us the qualities of faithful men like David and Daniel. While isolation is a difficult position to be in, sometimes it makes us stronger. I know that I am spiritually stronger today than I was four years ago when I moved to Hawaii from the mainland, but it has not been easy. For all of us, the struggle to remain separate to God is a daily one.