In my lifetime there have been several “misfits” of society who have killed or tried to kill important people. John Hinckley, Lee Harvy Oswald, and recently Thomas Crooks, have tried to assassinate a president, with Oswald being successful. Add to this list Mr. Mark Chapman who killed John Lennon.
Oswald was expelled from Russia, estranged from his wife, and lived alone in Ft. Worth. Hinckley was from wealthy Dallas parents but drifted from city to city, taking a Greyhound bus from LA to DC to shoot the President. Chapman was from a broken home and traveled from place in stalking Jodie Foster. Twenty-year-old Crooks was described as a “loner” by his school mates. Friendless, he still lived with his parents.
It is easy to see many common traits of these men, most notably the lack of a fellowship group, no close friendships and severed family ties. All were best described as “loners.” Do not follow their example. Meet with God’s people to worship. Stay for those fellowship meals. Attend family activities. Develop close friendships. There are many good reasons why we are admonished to “stimulate one another,” in “not forsaking our own assembling together,” and to “encourage one another” (Heb. 10:24-25). Don’t be a loner!
-Dennis Doughty
