Alone But Not Lonely
The Automat by Edward Hopper
I remember well the auto-mat at the hospital that I worked at. They are a self-serve--open 24 hours a day-- place to get a quick cup of coffee and sandwich out of a vending machine. It was often the only place open in the wee hours of the morning for something to eat. Bleary eyed doctors and nurses darted in and out, while worried family members hung out.
Edward Hopper in his paintings specializes in showing the effects of isolation in society. While it's true man was created in families for life in fellowship with others, it's also true that God made men and women first and foremost for Himself. So when we find ourselves alone, we need not be lonely. We can focus our mind and heart on God and talk to Him just as though He was there physically.
Talking with God is called prayer, and it's something we can do anywhere, and at any time. For God is always there with us, ready to talk and listen when we are. It's a privilege that we often miss fiddling with our cell phones, and reading worthless tabloids or magazines.
So often other people are a distraction from spending time with God. But being alone in an auto-mat can become a date with God and a time to talk things out with him, with none the wiser except you.