A friend shared with me her prayer in conquering loneliness years ago.

She was single, lived alone and craved some type of meaningful companionship.

She prayed for months, looking for relief from isolation until she finally glimpsed a view into God’s family that broke the mesmeric belief of loneliness.

In knowing God as her Father-Mother, she realized that God was everyone else’s Father-Mother too. All people were brothers and sisters under one parentage.

She saw clearly that she did have a family. It was God’s family. She was a member of it and could see herself that way.

As a part of God’s family, which included all men, women and children, companionship and company were built-into her experience. Her family was huge, and its members were everywhere.

In grasping the all-inclusiveness and immediacy of her true family–her spiritual family–a feeling of isolation became impossible. Fears and doubts about being loved and included lifted and a spiritual peace took over her perspective.

Two weeks later, she met another woman her age that shared an amazing number of common interests. They became very close friends and shared happy times together for years until family started taking a different form for both of them. You know…marriage, children, and that type of thing…. But the lesson has stuck with her ever since—everyone is a member of God’s family, and brothers and sisters abound wherever we go.

Her improved experience confirmed for her the benefits of spiritualizing one’s concept of family.

In God’s home, there’s room, love and opportunity for one and all.