Separation Anxiety - 1 John 1:2-4

“The life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” - 1 John 1:2-4

In the last nine months, many have said, “There are some things far worse than death. There is the loneliness.” These two things are closer together than we may think. Both replace joy with sorrow and the foreknowledge of sorrow. In the Garden, God forewarned Adam of death, and where did this death first manifest itself? In separation from God. Thorns and thistles, feuding and fighting would fuel our separation anxiety, robbing us of our joy and our very life. From Babel to Facebook, each passing generation has found new and dangerous ways to bypass the old, perennial problem of separation anxiety to no avail.

Whereas death manifested itself through sin, life has been made manifest through Jesus Christ - the propitiation of our sin. What we need today is not more of a dying world but more of a living Son. He does not rid us of separation anxiety by distracting us with things of this world; instead, he simply gives us more of Himself. If we would but relinquish our grip on this world and receive Christ by faith, we would find that our fellowship with the Father and the Son completes our joy in this life and extends beyond death itself. The anxiety, the fear, the constant nagging questions - these begin to dissipate as we enjoy our fellowship with God. We may lack many things in this earthly life, we may find ourselves pressed down with toil and trouble, but we will have everything necessary to complete our joy because we have Christ.