How to Deal with Being Left Behind

You Are My Hiding Place

Have you ever been left behind? Intentionally or otherwise? A couple of months ago everyone at my house except my youngest daughter left early before dawn to drive eighty miles to the airport or to drive to southern California. Some of the family were flying across the States to their homes, and the other family members were traveling five hundred miles for my mother’s interment. That morning we didn’t say goodbye to my daughter before we left because she was asleep and we didn’t want to awaken her. Later she told me that it was sad waking up to an empty house. Being left behind without anyone saying goodbye made it feel worse.

I remember the feeling in college. Those last to leave on break would feel this emptiness. I remember wandering around the dorm wishing for someone to talk to. Left behind. Some left-behinds are far worse, like abandonments. My oldest daughter had a roommate in college who was left behind as a toddler outside an orphanage. She didn’t know her real birthdate, her real age, or real name. That is hard psychologically. We don’t want to be left behind. My scariest moment was being left off a bus at a gas station in the middle of the night out in the middle of nowhere. I had missed my connection at an earlier stop. Thankfully the station had a pay phone and help eventually arrived. No cell phones in those days.

Can you see where this takes a person? Many people will go to great lengths to know they are wanted because they felt left behind, less important, or of no consequence. It’s punishing when others advance but you’re left behind. It can be a deal breaker, your confidence plummets, and you’re left bewildered. When your mate has left you behind, it does a number on you. Recovery can take years. I know about this.

Where You Find Relief

But there is one place where none of us are ever left behind. That is when we are in Jesus’ Kingdom fold. “I will never leave you or forsake you,” Jesus says. He promises His fidelity, love, and care. When your faith and trust is in God, you are part of His family. We are called God’s children, and we are to come as children. God is always your loving heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit is your Comforter and Guide. You can approach Father, Son, and Spirit any time of any day. You and I walk in their presence though we cannot see them. “Draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto you” no matter the situation.

Do you feel orphaned right now? Are you lonely? Tell Him. God understands. He welcomes you into His warm embrace. He is where you can go that is safe. God is your hiding place. Your part is to seek refuge in God. Trust Him to take care of you. Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.

“You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Psalm 37:2 KJV

I’ve been left behind on numerous occasions, someone else got the job, the promotion, the better circumstance. The sting or fear in our sensitivities is defeating, crushing, and unsettling. Whatever it is for you, your best response should be to talk to God about it. Here are some suggestions: Give it to God. Read. Listen to music or a podcast. Write in your journal. Read scripture. Visit with friends. Watch a favorite, uplifting movie. It helps to do something else to get your mind off it instead of over-thinking the ‘what if’s.’ Sort it through, what is true and what is not true. Then go from there.

This is not the end of the world. Look for constructive angles. Let the pain bring you to Father God and graciously allow Him to minister to you. You are precious to God. He has your back though it may be extremely difficult and you don’t understand. God says He covers you with His feathers. That’s a picture of protection, like a hen with her chicks nestled safe and secure under her wings. This is not ‘The end.’ It is a beginning.

Count your blessings and be thankful.

What You Will Learn in the Process

You will learn you are resilient.
You will learn to trust God for the journey.
You will learn that your worth and value is in who you are and who you are to God.