By isolation, I mean when we keep to ourselves, don't share what's really going on with us, and resist the influence of others. We often get in this place of isolation by telling ourselves, "No one will understand" or "I will never be accepted," or "I can handle this myself," or "I need to be good to myself and retreat."
By dumber, I mean we make, pound for pound, worse decisions without the help of others. Isolated, troubles loom larger than they are. In isolation, escape and a quick fix seem to make sense even though they usually lead to more and larger heartbreak. In isolation, we can fool ourselves that things will go away.
Jesus could have stay isolated up in heaven (or wherever heaven is.) He chose, instead, to enter into our lives in order to reshape them into things of beauty. He entered into our lives to make the impossible possible. He entered in to help bear the burdens that would crush us.
Prayer breaks isolation. Prayer does this in two ways. First, it renews our relationship to Life himself. Second, it moves us to change and move back into community. Prayer always leads us to align our lives closer to what God has in mind. Therefore, prayer always changes us.
Prayer makes us smarter. We are no longer in isolation.
Heavenly Father, help me to pray as if my life depended on it.
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