A Solitary Way

There was a time and a place where I felt totally alone, though surrounded by loving family and friends, a place that did not respond to my longing for music, art and culture in the way that would have nourished my soul. I mourned the absence of someone who would wholly understand me—"get me"—until I found this poem. It fed me. I knew then and there that the only true fulfillment for each person's longing for completeness and purpose can be found in Jesus Christ.

A Solitary Way

There is a mystery in human hearts,

And though we may be encircled by a host

Of those who love us well, and are beloved,

To every one of us, from time to time,

There comes a sense of utter loneliness.

Our dearest friend is stranger to our joy,

And cannot realize our bitterness.

There is not one who truly understands,

Not one to enter into all I feel,

Such is the cry of each of us in turn.

We wander in a solitary way,

No matter what or where our lot may be;

Each heart, mysterious even to itself,

Must live its inner life in solitude.

And would you know the reason why this is?

It is because the Lord desires our love.

In every heart He wishes to be first,

He therefore keeps the secret key Himself,

To open all its chambers, and to bless

With perfect sympathy and holy peace

Each solitary soul which comes to Him.

So when we feel this loneliness it is

The voice of Jesus saying, “Come to me”;

And every time we are not understood,

It is a call to us to come again:

For Christ alone can satisfy the soul.

And those who walk with Him from day to day

Can never have a solitary way.

And when beneath some heavy cross you faint

And say, “I cannot bear this load alone,”

You say the truth. Christ made it purposely

So heavy that you must return to Him.

The bitter grief, which no one understands,

Conveys a secret message from the King,

Entreating you to come to Him again.

The man of sorrows understands it well,

In all points tempted, He can feel with you;

You cannot come too often, or too near.

The Son of God is infinite in grace,

His presence satisfies the longing soul;

And those who walk with Him from day to day

Can never have a solitary way.

Charles E. Orr, published in 1911