It’s the last block, you skipped breakfast and you’re running on a bag of chips you ate during your lunch meeting and you’re thinking, “I just wish I could have something to eat right now!”

It’s the end of the day, you skipped work and no one has reached out to see how you are since two weeks ago and you’re thinking, “I just wish I could have someone to talk to right now.”

Hunger is hard to handle because it hurts. All of us have undoubtedly experienced the first scenario. But what about the hunger to belong? To be included and cared for? What about starvation? The truth is, we all hunger in some way. 

It is difficult to say you are hungry when you know there are children across the globe who do not know when their next meal will be. It is also difficult to admit you feel left out or unwanted when you know there are homeless people who experience loneliness in ways you cannot even imagine. 

But in these difficult times of self doubt and discouragement, we have to acknowledge that although we may think we can handle it all on our own, oftentimes, we really can’t.

The good news is, however, that we do not have to be hopeless or give up. There is a song by famous country duo Dan and Shay entitled Alone Together, about the idea of finding hope when we see that others are just like ourselves. 

Mother Teresa is an awe-inspiring example of how when we do move beyond ourselves, we actually find healing and comfort in helping others who have similar experiences. 

“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody… I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat,” shared Mother Teresa.

In the same way, we are all made with a desire to belong to our Creator. Who better to turn to than God who knows us better than we know ourselves? 

God loves us, regardless of where you are on your Faith journey. God will always be there, so you never really have to be alone. You just have to know it, own it, and live, reminding yourself that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, you can do to make God stop loving you, and, instead, have trust in his love.