{"id":310317,"date":"2024-11-18T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T09:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/loneliness-dont-hate-it-or-waste-it-steve-jennifer-dewitt\/"},"modified":"2024-11-19T04:14:30","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T09:14:30","slug":"loneliness-dont-hate-it-or-waste-it-steve-jennifer-dewitt","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/loneliness-dont-hate-it-or-waste-it-steve-jennifer-dewitt\/","title":{"rendered":"Loneliness: Don&#8217;t Hate It or Waste It: Steve &#038; Jennifer DeWitt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s a loneliness epidemic. But what if we don&#8217;t have to avoid loneliness like a plague? Dave &#038; Ann Wilson are joined by author and pastor, Steve Dewitt, and his wife, Jennifer, to discuss loneliness and offer a redemptive approach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s a loneliness epidemic. But what if we don&#8217;t have to avoid loneliness like a plague? Steve &#038; Jennifer DeWitt offer a redemptive approach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47000,"featured_media":310318,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/traffic.omny.fm\/d\/clips\/cbd16f10-ac60-4f09-b4df-b15400ce35aa\/33aaac7e-3581-4e21-a3df-b154011ba58c\/dfddfea1-82cc-474c-b414-b21701222232\/audio.mp3","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:29:02","filesize":"26.63M","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"2024-11-18 04:11:16","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2934],"tags":[],"podcast_series":[10895],"cwp_profile":[10884],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-310317","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationships","podcast_series-loneliness-dont-hate-it-or-waste-it-steve-jennifer-dewitt","cwp_profile-steve-and-jennifer-dewitt","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/11\/image_e7b8b8.jpg?w=1024","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/310317\/loneliness-dont-hate-it-or-waste-it-steve-jennifer-dewitt","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/310317\/loneliness-dont-hate-it-or-waste-it-steve-jennifer-dewitt","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"YtzhCgJQGF\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/loneliness-dont-hate-it-or-waste-it-steve-jennifer-dewitt\/\">Loneliness: Don&#8217;t Hate It or Waste It: Steve &#038; Jennifer DeWitt<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/loneliness-dont-hate-it-or-waste-it-steve-jennifer-dewitt\/embed\/#?secret=YtzhCgJQGF\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Loneliness: Don&#8217;t Hate It or Waste It: Steve &#038; Jennifer DeWitt&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"YtzhCgJQGF\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"spectra_custom_meta":{"secondline_imported_guid":["dfddfea1-82cc-474c-b414-b21701222232"],"audio_file":["https:\/\/traffic.omny.fm\/d\/clips\/cbd16f10-ac60-4f09-b4df-b15400ce35aa\/33aaac7e-3581-4e21-a3df-b154011ba58c\/dfddfea1-82cc-474c-b414-b21701222232\/audio.mp3"],"duration":["00:29:02"],"filesize":["26.63M"],"_thumbnail_id":["310318"],"show_notes":["\n<ul>\n<li>Connect with Steve DeWitt and hear more of his thoughts on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.dewitt.925\/\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>You can grab your copy of Steve & Jennifer's new book, \"Loneliness: Don't Hate it or Waste it. Redeem it\" <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moodypublishers.com\/loneliness\">here<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=d5ab8BOu4LE\">Song<\/a> Mentioned: \"One is the Loneliest Number\" by Three Dog Night.<\/li>\n<li>Don't miss out on FamilyLife's amazing Black Friday sale: Weekend to Remember gift cards are half off and devotionals are discounted from Nov. 18 to Dec. 2 at <a href=\"http:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/\">shop.familylife.com<\/a>!<br \/>\n<hr>\n<\/li>\n<li>Find resources from this podcast at <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/product-category\/radio-resources\/\">shop.familylife.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/product-category\/past-radio-resources\/\">See resources from our past podcasts.<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Find more content and resources on the <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/flministries\/app\/\">FamilyLife's app<\/a>!<\/li>\n<li>Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303\">Apple Podcast<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm?si=d6dfa8d2415f4750\">Spotify<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/flministries\/familylife-podcast-network\/\">FamilyLife Podcast Network<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n"],"transcript_url":["https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2024-11-18.pdf"],"_edit_lock":["1731944359:47000"],"_edit_last":["47000"],"transcript_content":["\nFamilyLife Today\u00ae with Dave and Ann Wilson - Web Version Transcript\r\n\r\nThis content has been generated by an artificial intelligence language model. While we strive for accuracy and quality, please note that the information provided will most likely not be entirely error-free or up-to-date. We recommend independently verifying the content with the originally-released audio. This transcript is provided for your personal use and general information purposes only. References to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the use or interpretation of this content.\r\n\r\nLoneliness: Don\u2019t Hate It or Waste It\r\n\r\nGuest:Steve DeWitt\r\n\r\nFrom the series:Loneliness: Don\u2019t Hate It or Waste It (Day 1 of 3)\r\n\r\nAir date:November 18, 2024\r\n\r\nShelby: Hey, Shelby Abbott here. Are you tired of the tension and the division that exists in things like your family gatherings; and your friend groups; and certainly, on social media? I know I am. Well, Psalm 1:33 tells us that it's good for believers to live in unity with one another; but in today's kind of easily-angered and often-offended world, that just feels impossible; doesn't it? It feels like wishful thinking. Well, that's why I'm excited to invite you to join us, here at FamilyLife, for a five-week video series from our friend\u2014author and comedian\u2014Amberly Neese. It's called \u201cMoving Toward Each Other in the Middle of a Divisive World.\u201d In it, Amberly just guides us through how to build peace in our natural circles of influence when differing thoughts, and opinions, and beliefs threaten to create division. You could sign up, right now, by clicking on the link in the show notes or heading over to FamilyLife.com\/FindingCommonGround. Again, you can download this five-week video series at FamilyLife.com\/FindingCommonGround; or just click on the link in the show notes. \r\n\r\nAlright, let's get into the program.\r\n\r\nSteve:We have to be realistic about life in a fallen, broken world, where the final flourishing and fullness is yet to come. Loneliness is part of this fallen world. Someday, we won't feel lonely ever again; but here and now, it's going to be a part of the human experience.\r\n\r\nShelby: Welcome to FamilyLife Today, where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most. I'm Shelby Abbott, and your hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson. You can find us at FamilyLifeToday.com.\r\n\r\nAnn: This is FamilyLife Today.\r\n\r\nDave:Alright; you didn't know I was going to do this, did you?\r\n\r\nAnn: No; I didn't, actually. \r\n\r\nDave:The topic we're hitting today reminded me of a song that everybody knows\u2014well, maybe some of our younger listeners won't know\u2014because this was 1968 [singing]: \u201cOne is the loneliest number that you'll ever do.\u201d Come on; you're not going to sing? \u201cTwo can be as bad as one. It's the loneliest number; it\u2019s the number one.\u201d You know who that was? \r\n\r\nAnn: No, but I remember the song.\r\n\r\nDave:Yes; it's Three Dog Night. You know who that is, Steve?\r\n\r\nSteve:I don't know that song; I know the group.\r\n\r\nDave:Wait a minute; you don't know that song? I just said everybody knows that song!\r\n\r\nAnn: He\u2019s too young.\r\n\r\nDave: I got to look in the audio room: \u201cJim Mitchell, Bruce Goff, do you guys know that song?\u201d \r\n\r\nJim: Oh, yeah.\r\n\r\nDave: Three Dog Night. \r\n\r\nBruce: I know the song; I don't know the group. \r\n\r\nDave: You don't know Three Dog Night?  Well, that sort of does date my age a little bit. I was 11 years old when that song came out; and I didn't even know it, but it's written by Harry Nilsson. You guys don't know who Harry Nilsson is?\r\n\r\nJennifer: No. Are we looking at you blankly?\r\n\r\nDave:So much for classic rock history, right here.\r\n\r\nAnn: If Bob Lepine was here, he would be with singing with you. \r\n\r\nDave:He would be singing with me. I was looking at you, thinking you'd sing with me. \r\n\r\nAnn: I couldn\u2019t remember the words. \r\n\r\nDave:Come on.\r\n\r\nAnn: No; sorry. \r\n\r\nDave: Anyway, it's this song that really became hit number five in the U.S., because I think it tapped into something that people feel. We got Steve DeWitt with us today, pastor, author of a book called Loneliness: Don't Hate It or Waste It. Redeem It. So Steve, when I picked up your book, and started reading about that topic, I don't know why I thought of that song. I guess you didn't, huh?\r\n\r\nSteve:I didn't. I do talk about a different song, Alone Again (Naturally).\r\n\r\nDave:I was going to sing that one for you\u2014\r\n\r\nAnn: I remember that song.\r\n\r\nDave: \u2014[singing]: \u201cAlone again, naturally.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: I remember that song. So when you mentioned it in the book, I was like singing right along with you.\r\n\r\nSteve:I think you just picked the wrong song today.\r\n\r\nDave:I think I did. Usually, I've got the whole room singing; but today I am like, \u201cOkay, they'll probably edit all that out, Steve, so it doesn't even matter that happened.\u201d \r\n\r\nBut Steve, talk to us a little bit about\u2014tell our listeners what you do\u2014I know you're a pastor in northwest Indiana; it\u2019s the home of Ball State University.\r\n\r\nSteve:Oh, yes.\r\n\r\nDave:Yeah, the greatest university in the Midwest. Of course, you agree with that.\r\n\r\nSteve:I\u2019m\u2014\r\n\r\nDave:I\u2019m striking out here today, folks.\r\n\r\nSteve:I am for all Indiana universities as my tax dollars go to support them.\r\n\r\nDave:There you go. So how long have you been a pastor there?\u2014'97?\r\n\r\nSteve:Yes, I've been, for 27 years. I've been the senior pastor of Bethel Church in northwest Indiana. And before that, I was a youth and worship pastor in Indianapolis; and I went to college and seminary in Michigan.\r\n\r\nDave:Where'd you go?\r\n\r\nSteve:I went to Cornerstone.\r\n\r\nDave:Oh, yeah; near Grand Rapids, right?\r\n\r\nSteve:Yep; born and raised in Iowa, so I'm a Midwest guy.\r\n\r\nDave:And [you] sort of became known as the \u201cBachelor Pastor.\u201d Tell us what that means.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, that's true. It's not a title I ever aspired to; it just kind of came to me, because in God's providence, His plan for my story was that I would be a single pastor for a couple of decades. And over time\u2014because that is a little unusual\u2014over time, it was a term of endearment, I think, that people called me that. It's kind of what I was known for.\r\n\r\nDave:And you're not new to radio. You've got\u2014is it daily?\u2014a radio show called The Journey. Tell us what that is. And by the way, shout out to RK Media. Roger and Lori Kemp and the team produce your show. It's on every single day, and it's pretty much your sermons?\r\n\r\nSteve:It is; it's my Sunday messages. Yeah, we're a podcast; we're a radio program, and we're on in stations across the country.\r\n\r\nAnn: Yeah, like us. We love RK Media.\r\n\r\nDave:Oh, they're the best.\r\n\r\nAnn: We love Roger and Lori. And we are praying for you, Lori; shout out to you.\r\n\r\nSteve:Yes, yes; for sure. \r\n\r\nDave: So talk about this book; I know it's your third book.\r\n\r\nAnn: Let me just say, \u201cThank you for writing this\u201d; because I think, as a listener, if you're listening to that title, Loneliness\u2014whether you're married, whether you're a single mom, whether you're single, whether you're a single dad, or just living life\u2014we all face this; and it's a big deal. I think we're feeling lonelier than we ever have. I'm sure you probably know the stats on that.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, it is exactly true. All of the statistics indicate the same thing, that we are lonelier than we have ever been, as a society, which is ironic; we're digitally more connected than any human beings in the history of the world. And simultaneously, we are the loneliest people. The pervasiveness of that\u2014it comes out\u2014and almost every week, there's another study about the damaging effects of loneliness, not just relationally, but even physiologically. All the numbers are going higher all the time. Governments are trying to figure out: \u201cWhat do we do about this?\u201d And so it's a huge problem. \r\n\r\nI somewhat, uniquely, come to the matter very personally and pastorally. So personally, I lived many years alone. There's nothing wrong with that, and it was God's plan for me. But I had a long time to think about this ache that I had in my heart: \u201cWhat is this?\u201d and \u201cWhy do I feel this?\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: Tell us what it felt like.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, I think most people probably know what that ache is of loneliness. It's a sense that something is missing\u2014something that is longed for; or maybe, an expectation has been unmet relationally; or maybe, a relationship that once had been there, now isn\u2019t\u2014and so, if you lose a spouse, or a friend, or a loved one, that longing for them to be in your life again, is similar\u2014these are related aches. All of them, I think, come under the rubric of loneliness. \r\n\r\nAnd so, for all those years as I'm pastoring people\u2014and by God's grace, I pastor in a large setting; so I have thousands of people all around me all the time\u2014and yet, I was alone. I went home to a quiet house that was exactly the way it was when I left. And so putting my pastor hat on, and theologian hat on, I had a lot of time to think about: \u201cBiblically, what is this?\u201d and \u201cWhy do I feel this way?\u201d and \u201cDoes the Bible have any solutions to loneliness?\u201d and \u201cIf so, what are those?\u201d\u2014because I really needed them in my own life.\r\n\r\nDave:Now, did you feel\u2014you used the word before: \u201cache\u201d\u2014did you feel that? I don't know if you're an extrovert or introvert. I'm an extrovert when Ann leaves. If she's gone for a couple days, every meal, I eat at somebody's house\u2014\"Hey, Dave's here again,\u201d\u2014it's just like I'm an extrovert. I hate going home alone\u2014I go play ball; I go play music; whatever\u2014I'm finding ways to do that so I can\u2019t feel that ache when I'm not with Ann. Is that something that you felt every day?\r\n\r\nSteve:I didn't feel it every day, for sure. And being a part of a healthy church is one of the solutions to loneliness, and I had all of that helping me. But at the end of the day, holidays, Steve\u2014not as Pastor Steve, but just the guy, Steve\u2014there was definitely this sense that there's a dimension that I am made for, which is missing in my life. One of the things I talk about with loneliness is it's not so much the presence of something\u2014as the absence of something\u2014and not just horizontally but, also, vertically. To understand loneliness: we are, first and foremost, lonely for God. We are made in His image; we're made for Him. And to understand loneliness, it has to begin with that vertical [relationship] because, as Augustine said, \u201cOur hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: And what would you say to the people, who are saying, \u201cI need skin; I need skin\u201d? You know how we say that: \u201cBut God doesn't have skin. I need somebody with skin on.\u201d What would you say about that? We're restless and we're longing for God.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, I go back to how God made us in the first place. Key to understanding loneliness is the imago dei, the image of God. To understand why we feel this way, we have to understand how God made us to be like Him. And so that includes then, within the Trinity, this remarkable unity so that we say that God is one\u2014they're in absolute harmony\u2014but also, this diversity that they are three. We see both the social need that God made in us and, also, that longing for harmony, and fullness, and wholeness with somebody else. \r\n\r\nSin brings that all into chaos. In Genesis 3, we see Adam, right away, blames God; and Eve blames Satan; and they feel naked. The entrance of loneliness into the world is that moment in Genesis 3 when sin entered into the world. Loneliness then is not a sin itself\u2014that's one of my missions\u2014is people feel guilty for feeling lonely. We shouldn't feel guilty for feeling lonely. God made us to feel lonely; it's actually a good thing. And when we understand why we feel lonely, we're halfway to mitigating the loneliness.\r\n\r\nDave:How about\u2014you're talking about Genesis 3\u2014if you go back a chapter, and you write about this, where God creates Adam. We write about this in our FamilyLife Preparing for Marriage; we have a workbook for couples before they get married. I'll read something from Preparing for Marriage; it says, \u201cSoon after God created man, He said, \u2018It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper fit for him.\u2019 Genesis 2:18, up to this point, God had looked over each part of creation and said it was good; but not this time\u2014something more was needed\u2014Adam shouldn't be alone. No sinner flaw was in the world\u2014Adam experienced God in the midst of perfection\u2014yet, Adam was still alone.\u201d \r\n\r\nYou're a theologian; you're a pastor: \u201cWhat is going on? Because in Genesis 3, we have the fall; but even before Genesis 3, God is saying, \u201cAdam's alone\u201d; and yet, he has a relationship with God.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, I think it goes back to, again: \u201cWhy did God make Adam in His image?\u201d\u2014it is to reflect what God is like. And so it was not only\u2014not good for Adam to be alone\u2014it was not good for the reflection that Adam is alone, because God isn't alone. And for humanity to reflect what God is like, there had to be another. Eve was created, not to solve Adam's loneliness; it doesn't say that he was lonely.\r\n\r\nAnn: That's a good point.\r\n\r\nSteve:It says that he was alone. And that should be an encouragement that there is a huge difference between being alone and being lonely\u2014aloneness is neutral; loneliness is bad; solitude is good\u2014and when we can kind of put our emotions in those categories, it helps us to understand, not only why we feel the way that we do, but why God made us the way that He made us. \r\n\r\nI would look into that creation of Eve as being God's saying, \u201cHumanity does not fully reflect what we're like yet.\u201d God delights in His plurality in unity\u2014and think about Jesus talking about the love between the Father and the Son in the upper room, for example\u2014so deep, and enriched, and meaningful. God wanted Adam to similarly experience that flourishing joy; to do so, He made Eve, like Adam, but different. Similarly, we see in the Trinity that\u2014God the Father, God the Son, the Spirit: they are co-eternal; they share the same nature, but there are three different personalities\u2014they're not exactly the same. And Adam and Eve are not exactly the same, even though they share the same nature. And we see the brilliance of God in creating the way He created us.\r\n\r\nIt also explains then, in Genesis 3\u2014when that is broken\u2014why we feel the way that we do. Something is missing between us and God; and also, between Adam and Eve.\r\n\r\nAnn: Yeah, take us there; because as I was reading your book, I was like, \u201cOh, this is so\u201d\u2014in the way you described that brokenness in Genesis 3. Take us there.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, I talk about nakedness. Do you want to go to nakedness? Is that where you're going here?\r\n\r\nAnn: Yes.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, truth be told, I had a lot more about nakedness; but the publisher thought it was too much.\r\n\r\nDave: Really?\r\n\r\nSteve: So yeah; it's true. But I think nakedness is such an interesting and, even, visceral reality: all of us recognize that we feel naked. And it's not when we're alone that we feel\u2014we shower or whatever\u2014we don't even think about it. But when we're around other people, and we're naked; i.e., the health club shower or whatever it might be, all of a sudden, we become self-conscious. \r\n\r\nI talk about why that is: that nakedness is not the absence of clothing; it is the absence of righteousness. And here we are, all these centuries later, and we are living out the same Garden of Eden reality. It's theology on display\u2014we feel shame\u2014and that shame is a function of that longing that we have to be able to be vulnerable with another human being. But because of sin, we can't be completely vulnerable; we always have to hide something. And our clothes are not so much about fashion as much as they are about that ancient hiding. All over the world, humanity\u2014whether they're Christian or not\u2014is living out the reality of the theology of Genesis 3.\r\n\r\nAnn: That's deep, man.\r\n\r\nDave:That's deep.\r\n\r\nAnn: It's good though: the absence of righteousness. I don't think I had thought of that before, until I read that; like, \u201cWhoa!\u201d I had to sit in it for a minute, just to understand it. But there is a vulnerability, in our nakedness, in even exposing who we are. But I think, too, we long for someone to truly know us, to truly see us, not necessarily in our nakedness, but\u2014\r\n\r\nDave:\u2014emotionally;\u2014\r\n\r\nAnn: \u2014emotionally.\r\n\r\nDave:\u2014soul.\r\n\r\nAnn: I think that's where the loneliness comes in, when we have no one that does that, that sees us and loves us.\r\n\r\nSteve: Think about the single scene right now, where people are feeling that longing for vulnerability; they're lonely. And so they have a series of sexual encounters, hoping that that total vulnerability with another human being will satisfy that longing in their heart. And the testimony, of those who live that lifestyle, is that it doesn't. And here we are, back in Ecclesiastes, where Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 2: \u201cI had more of this than anybody else; and yet, it's meaningless without God.\u201d \r\n\r\nI would maintain that longing is, first of all, theological; it is vertical. And through Christ, it can be restored, where we are reconciled fully with our Creator. But then, the social dimension of the gospel frees us to be who we are with other people\u2014my identity is now in Jesus Christ\u2014and that frees me; I don't have to hide; He's accepted me. And now, you're another human being\u2014\"I'm right with God,\u201d\u2014and so now, it frees us to be more vulnerable; and I would say then, less lonely; because we are not hiding ourselves anymore.\r\n\r\nAnn: Let me ask you: I'm thinking of you, as a single pastor, living alone. You probably went through times of loneliness\/times of\u2014\r\n\r\nDave:That would be my question:\u2014\r\n\r\nAnn: \u2014aloneness.\r\n\r\nDave:\u2014\u201cEarlier you said, \u2018You can be alone, but not lonely.\u2019\u201d You were alone\u2014for what?\u2014four decades. You got married\u2014what?\u201441?\r\n\r\nSteve:Forty-four.\r\n\r\nDave: Forty-four; so yeah.\r\n\r\nAnn: But I'm guessing you slipped in and out of that feeling alone\u2014 \r\n\r\nDave: That's the question: \u201cDid you?\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: \u2014and loneliness.\r\n\r\nSteve:Absolutely. I think most people would describe loneliness as episodic; it's not always there. And I would maintain: it's never fully gone. The goal of my ministry in this, with loneliness, is to move it from the foreground of people's emotional experience to the background. Until the new creation, we are going to have a sense that something is missing. C.S. Lewis talks about this; he says, \u201cEven the best marriage, the healthiest moment in marriage, there's always a sense that something isn't quite yet perfect.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: I like that \u201cmoving it from the foreground\u201d\u2014it's at the forefront of our minds: \u201cI'm so lonely,\u201d\u2014 it's not out of the picture; but now, it's in the background. I think that's good to understand that we might always have a sense of it; but to not let it rule, at the forefront of our emotions. \r\n\r\nBecause in marriage\u2014you know this; you're married now; you have kids\u2014we will talk about this tomorrow. But in marriage, I have felt some of my loneliest times. So just to think that a spouse comes in and covers all of that\u2014\r\n\r\nDave:Oh, we got to save that for tomorrow.\r\n\r\nAnn: I know; we will.\r\n\r\nDave:I want to ask you this: \u201cWere you able to do that, as a single man? Take it from the front to the back? Was it something that you processed through and worked through before you got married?\u201d\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, there's a saying that says\/describes things as: \u201cnot problems to be solved, but tensions to be managed.\u201d I think loneliness falls into that category; it never fully leaves. And in my experience\u2014I think probably singles, who are listening, could relate to this\u2014especially, moments that I expected would be filled with family relationships, like holidays or even my birthday: those would be the times where I would feel my aloneness and loneliness the most. Those are very difficult\u2014very difficult times for people\u2014single people, in particular. \r\n\r\nBut it would come and go, honestly. Again, we have to be realistic about life in a fallen, broken world, where the final flourishing and fullness is yet to come. Loneliness is part of this fallen world. Someday, we won't feel lonely ever again; but here and now, it's going to be a part of the human experience.\r\n\r\nAnn: What is God's purpose in it?\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, now, that\u2019s\u2014now, you're hitting the sweet spot\u2014okay? \r\n\r\nDave: Talk about deep. \r\n\r\nSteve: Well, now, you're on where my heart truly goes with loneliness. I think we need to invert our whole perspective on loneliness. Most people view it as bad; it's something that\u2014\r\n\r\nAnn: \u2014you run from it.\r\n\r\nSteve: \u2014something's wrong.\r\n\r\nSteve:No, no; when we feel lonely, we are feeling exactly what we are supposed to feel. I compare it\u2014\r\n\r\nAnn: People are like, \u201cWait! What?!\u201d\r\n\r\nSteve:Yes, loneliness is a gift. It is a part of God's common grace to humanity, to push us into the relationships that He made us to flourish in. I compare loneliness to hunger or thirst, which none of us want to feel hungry; none of us want to feel thirsty. We don't resent hunger; we actually are like, \u201cHey, it's a good thing that I feel hungry. I'm sick if I don't.\u201d It causes us to move and to do things that our body needs: we eat; we drink.\r\n\r\nLoneliness is like a relational hunger. It's an indicator; it's a little like the dashboard warning light. It's indicating: \u201cWarning! Warning! Something that you are made to enjoy and flourish in is absent, and you need to do something about it.\u201d If we can view loneliness as part of the inner architecture that God put in us\u2014when He made us in His image\u2014now, we don't resent it; now, we don't hate it. Now, we have an opportunity to redeem it. Redeeming it, biblically and through the gospel, puts us in a place where we can enjoy the flourishing that God intended. But this comes through vertically being right with God, through Jesus, and enjoying horizontal relationships of vulnerability\u2014nakedness, if you will\u2014that comes by seeing my identity in Christ and freeing me to be who I am with other people.\r\n\r\nDave:I mean, if a listener is, right now, identifying: \u201cWow, the light is flashing pretty strongly on my loneliness feeling,\u201d I think you answered it; but what would you tell them to do?\r\n\r\nAnn: Yeah; get real practical as we end today.\r\n\r\nDave:They\u2019re like: \u201cThat\u2019s where I am: I'm starving. I'm not just hungry; I'm starving.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: \u201cAnd I don\u2019t know how to fill up. I don't know how to do it.\u201d\r\n\r\nDave: Yes.\r\n\r\nSteve:There are reactions that people have that are unhelpful. I\u2019ll just quickly share\u2014one of the things that people do is they will seek a distraction from that\u2014they will watch Netflix things every night; they do things to try to take their mind off of it.\r\n\r\nAnn: We numb out.\r\n\r\nSteve:We try to numb it. Or we obsess over it\u2014and that relationship in the family\u2014\"I'm so mad about it. I'm never talking to that person again.\u201d So much passive\/aggressive behavior is really the result of people trying to deal with the sense of emptiness. All of those we need to avoid\u2014don't obsess over it; don't distract it\u2014rather, we seek to redeem it. \r\n\r\nThis redemption comes by understanding why I feel this way; and then, taking biblical steps to deal with it, which I would in a quick summary way be:\r\n\r\nLoneliness provides energy. There's a longing; this is a gift. Take that energy\/that desire, and move in positive ways\u2014not in the negative ones\u2014but in the positive ways. Move towards people, not away from people. I would argue that a biblical church is a great context for those kinds of healthy relationships to be experienced, only if we enter into them, understanding that it's the love of God through us that mitigates the loneliness in us. If I go to church, or wherever, and think, \u201cI'm going to meet somebody that's going to take care of this loneliness,\u201d I'll be lonely the rest of my life.\r\n\r\nWe have to give our loneliness away\u2014this is Jesus: \u201cTake up your cross; follow Me,\u201d\u2014this is the: \u201cDie to yourself.\u201d As we seek to meet the lonely needs of other people, mysteriously, the loneliness in our heart moves from the foreground to the background\u2014\"It's more blessed to give than to receive\u201d; this is: \u201cDo to others as you would have them do unto you,\u201d\u2014and this is hard, because we want to receive love. But it is the giving love to other people that mitigates the loneliness in our heart. That would be my urging: \u201cGive your loneliness away. Take that energy, and seek to meet the needs of other people, and then it sort of disappears.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: Oh, that's so good. I feel like that was super practical. And it's the opposite of what you want to do, honestly.\r\n\r\nDave: Yeah; \u201cIf you want to find your life, lose it in serving others and serving Jesus.\u201d\r\n\r\nShelby: Isn't that just the way God works in and through us? It's the upside-down principles of the kingdom: \u201cIf you want to experience life, give your life away; and in giving it away, then you'll truly find it,\u201d\u2014crazy, huh?\u2014but I love that though; it's such an amazing perspective. \r\n\r\nI'm Shelby Abbott; and you've been listening to Dave and Ann Wilson, with Steve DeWitt, on FamilyLife Today. Steve has written a book called Loneliness: Don't Hate It or Waste It. Redeem It. This book can really resonate with anyone who's wrestling with feelings of loneliness, whether you're single, or married, or in leadership. You can get your copy, right now, by going online to FamilyLifeToday.com, where you'll find a link in the show notes. Again, FamilyLifeToday.com; or feel free to give us a call at 800-358-6329 to request your copy. Again, the number is 800-F as in family, L as in life, and then the word, TODAY. \r\n\r\nObviously, you hear us talk often about marriages and how that foundation can affect everything else in your life. One thing we think we would all agree on is that great marriages don't just happen; they're built with intentionality. And so we're either drifting in marriage or intentionally moving toward each other and, together, toward God. We think it's really important that you work on your marriage. And one of the ways we want to help you do that is by inviting you to a Weekend to Remember\u00ae marriage getaway. \r\n\r\nAnd the cool thing is, between today and December 2\u2014that's Cyber Monday\u2014all Weekend to Remember gift cards are 50 percent off; that's right. You and your spouse can go and, basically, only pay for one of you. All our Weekend to Remember gift cards are 50 percent off through December 2. And our devotionals, as an additional bonus, are 20 percent off, now through Cyber Monday, as well. Head over to FamilyLifeToday.com, and click on the Black Friday banner, in order to access \r\n\r\n50 percent off on Weekend to Remember gift cards; and 20 percent off on our devotionals. Again, that\u2019s FamilyLifeToday.com. \r\n\r\nNow, tomorrow, \u201cWhat are the complexities of loneliness when it comes to marriage and singleness?\u201d Well, Steve DeWitt is going to be back tomorrow, with the Wilsons, along with his wife, Jennifer, to talk about how to redeem loneliness, regardless of your stage of life. That's tomorrow; we hope you'll join us. On behalf of Dave and Ann Wilson, I'm Shelby Abbott. We'll see you back next time for another edition of FamilyLife Today.\r\n\r\nFamilyLife Today is a donor-supported production of FamilyLife\u00ae, a Cru\u00ae Ministry. \r\n\r\nHelping you pursue the relationships that matter most.\r\n\r\nIf you\u2019ve benefited from the FamilyLife Today transcripts, would you consider donating today to help defray the costs of producing them and making them available online?  \r\n\r\nCopyright \u00a9 2024 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\r\n\r\nwww.FamilyLife.com                                 \r\n\r\n\n"],"theme_header_position":["Sticky"],"post_header_is_sticky":["default"],"is_header_overlay":["0"],"episode_type":["audio"],"date_recorded":["2024-11-18 04:11:16"],"enclosure":["https:\/\/traffic.omny.fm\/d\/clips\/cbd16f10-ac60-4f09-b4df-b15400ce35aa\/33aaac7e-3581-4e21-a3df-b154011ba58c\/dfddfea1-82cc-474c-b414-b21701222232\/audio.mp3"],"_seopress_redirections_type":["301"],"_seopress_redirections_logged_status":["both"],"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":[""],"_uag_css_file_name":["uag-css-310317.css"],"_uag_js_file_name":["uag-js-310317.js"],"_uag_page_assets":["a:9:{s:3:\"css\";s:82560:\".wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-e11dbe9f{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-e11dbe9f > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;padding-top: 3em;padding-bottom: 3em;padding-left: 1.5em;padding-right: 1.5em;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;background-color: #f8f8f8;;}@media only screen and (max-width: 976px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-e11dbe9f{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-e11dbe9f > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f{padding-top: 3px;padding-bottom: 3px;padding-left: 1.5px;padding-right: 1.5px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #f8f8f8;;}}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-e11dbe9f{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-e11dbe9f > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f{padding-top: 3px;padding-bottom: 3px;padding-left: 1.5px;padding-right: 1.5px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #f8f8f8;;}}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-85559158 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-85559158 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-85559158 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-85559158 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-85559158 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-85559158{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-85559158 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 960px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-85559158{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;padding-top: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;padding-left: 10px;padding-right: 10px;margin-top: 60px !important;margin-bottom: 60px !important;margin-left: 0px;margin-right: 0px;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-ea16301a{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-ea16301a > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a.uagb-layout-grid > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{row-gap: 40px;column-gap: 40px;grid-template-columns: minmax( 1px, 1fr)  minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;grid-template-rows: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;align-items: start;justify-items: stretch;align-content: stretch;justify-content: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;padding-top: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;padding-left: 0px;padding-right: 0px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a.wp-block-uagb-container > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not( .spectra-container-link-overlay ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox):not(.wp-block-uagb-lottie):not(.uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap){width: auto !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a.wp-block-uagb-container > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox){width: auto !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-26ccc5c9 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-26ccc5c9 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-26ccc5c9 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-26ccc5c9 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-26ccc5c9 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-26ccc5c9{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-26ccc5c9 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: flex-start;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-26ccc5c9{min-height: 710px;box-shadow: 3px 7px 7px -1px rgba(0,0,0,0.15) ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;background-color: #ffffff;;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: flex-start;flex-wrap: nowrap;align-self: start;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-84f50fa3 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-84f50fa3 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-84f50fa3 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-84f50fa3 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-84f50fa3 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;background: url(https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/07\/Grow-with-your-family_545x307.jpg) 50% 50%;;background-size: cover;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-84f50fa3{max-width: 100vw;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-84f50fa3 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-84f50fa3{min-height: 250px;box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: 50% 50%;background-size: cover;background-attachment: scroll;background-image: url(https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2025\/03\/Grow-with-your-family_545x307.webp);background-clip: padding-box;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-271bf38d .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-271bf38d .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-271bf38d .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-271bf38d .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-271bf38d .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-271bf38d{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-271bf38d > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;row-gap: 40px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-271bf38d{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 40px;padding-left: 40px;padding-right: 40px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;row-gap: 40px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-ab8d0982{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-ab8d0982 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982.uagb-layout-grid{row-gap: 8px;column-gap: 8px;grid-template-columns: auto  minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;grid-template-rows: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;align-items: stretch;justify-items: stretch;align-content: stretch;justify-content: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982.wp-block-uagb-container > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not( .spectra-container-link-overlay ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox):not(.wp-block-uagb-lottie):not(.uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap){width: auto !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982.wp-block-uagb-container > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox){width: auto !important;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d4c1a7e3.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-heading-text{color: #25282a;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d4c1a7e3.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-desc-text{margin-bottom: 15px;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d4c1a7e3.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight{font-style: normal;font-weight: Default;background: #007cba;color: #fff;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d4c1a7e3.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight::-moz-selection{color: #fff;background: #007cba;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d4c1a7e3.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight::selection{color: #fff;background: #007cba;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d4c1a7e3 .uagb-heading-text{font-weight: 300;font-size: 16px;}.uagb-block-f9d54988.wp-block-uagb-separator{text-align: left;}.uagb-block-f9d54988.wp-block-uagb-separator--text .wp-block-uagb-separator-element .uagb-html-tag{font-style: normal;line-height: 1em;}.uagb-block-f9d54988 .uagb-separator-spacing-wrapper{padding-top: 4px;padding-bottom: 4px;}.uagb-block-f9d54988.wp-block-uagb-separator:not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--text):not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--icon) .wp-block-uagb-separator__inner{-webkit-mask-size: 5px 100%;border-top-width: 3px;width: 100%;border-top-color: #eabe5e;border-top-style: solid;margin-top: 5px;margin-bottom: 5px;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-3208cc36.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-heading-text{color: #006a5a;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-3208cc36.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-desc-text{margin-bottom: 15px;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-3208cc36.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight{font-style: normal;font-weight: Default;background: #007cba;color: #fff;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-3208cc36.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight::-moz-selection{color: #fff;background: #007cba;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-3208cc36.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight::selection{color: #fff;background: #007cba;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-3208cc36 .uagb-heading-text{font-weight: 400;font-size: 26px;line-height: 1.2em;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .uagb-icon-list__source-image{width: 18px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap svg{width: 18px;height: 18px;font-size: 18px;color: #1573a2;fill: #1573a2;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{padding: 0px;border-radius: 0px;border-width: 0px;align-self: center;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__label{font-size: 20px;text-decoration: !important;line-height: em;color: #1573a2;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .uagb-icon-list__wrap{display: flex;flex-direction: column;justify-content: center;-webkit-box-pack: center;-ms-flex-pack: center;-webkit-box-align: flex-start;-ms-flex-align: flex-start;align-items: flex-start;padding-top: 0px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;padding-left: 0px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .uagb-icon-list__label{text-align: left;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child{text-decoration: !important;font-size: 20px;line-height: em;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd.wp-block-uagb-icon-list .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child{margin-left: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 24px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{margin-left: 15px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child {flex-direction: row-reverse;}.uagb-block-fdd052c2.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-fdd052c2.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child:hover .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-679dc0da.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-679dc0da.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child:hover .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-fbb8dca6.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-fbb8dca6.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child:hover .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-b5e9a44d.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-b5e9a44d.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child:hover .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-10525170.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-10525170.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child:hover .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-48a597f8 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-48a597f8 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-48a597f8 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-48a597f8 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-48a597f8 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-48a597f8{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-48a597f8 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: flex-start;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-48a597f8{min-height: 710px;box-shadow: 3px 7px 7px -1px rgba(0,0,0,0.15) ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;background-color: #ffffff;;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: flex-start;flex-wrap: nowrap;align-self: start;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-22a41c70 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-22a41c70 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-22a41c70 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-22a41c70 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-22a41c70 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;background: url(https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/07\/Grow-with-your-family_545x307.jpg) 50% 50%;;background-size: cover;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-22a41c70{max-width: 100vw;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-22a41c70 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-22a41c70{min-height: 250px;box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: 50% 50%;background-size: cover;background-attachment: scroll;background-image: url(https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2025\/03\/HelpFamiliesGrow2.webp);background-clip: padding-box;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-562935bf .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-562935bf .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-562935bf .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-562935bf .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-562935bf .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-562935bf{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-562935bf > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;row-gap: 40px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-562935bf{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 40px;padding-left: 40px;padding-right: 40px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;row-gap: 40px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-5a1442f2{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-5a1442f2 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2.uagb-layout-grid{row-gap: 8px;column-gap: 8px;grid-template-columns: auto  minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;grid-template-rows: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;align-items: stretch;justify-items: stretch;align-content: stretch;justify-content: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2.wp-block-uagb-container > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not( .spectra-container-link-overlay ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox):not(.wp-block-uagb-lottie):not(.uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap){width: auto !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2.wp-block-uagb-container > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox){width: auto !important;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d9c0200f.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-heading-text{color: #25282a;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d9c0200f.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-desc-text{margin-bottom: 15px;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d9c0200f.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight{font-style: normal;font-weight: Default;background: #007cba;color: #fff;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d9c0200f.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight::-moz-selection{color: #fff;background: #007cba;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d9c0200f.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight::selection{color: #fff;background: #007cba;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d9c0200f .uagb-heading-text{font-weight: 300;font-size: 16px;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e.wp-block-uagb-separator{text-align: left;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e.wp-block-uagb-separator--text .wp-block-uagb-separator-element .uagb-html-tag{font-style: normal;line-height: 1em;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e .uagb-separator-spacing-wrapper{padding-top: 4px;padding-bottom: 4px;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e.wp-block-uagb-separator:not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--text):not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--icon) .wp-block-uagb-separator__inner{-webkit-mask-size: 5px 100%;border-top-width: 3px;width: 100%;border-top-color: #eabe5e;border-top-style: solid;margin-top: 5px;margin-bottom: 5px;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-31f155e3.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-heading-text{color: #006a5a;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-31f155e3.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-desc-text{margin-bottom: 15px;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-31f155e3.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight{font-style: normal;font-weight: Default;background: #007cba;color: #fff;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-31f155e3.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight::-moz-selection{color: #fff;background: #007cba;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-31f155e3.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight::selection{color: #fff;background: #007cba;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-31f155e3 .uagb-heading-text{font-weight: 400;font-size: 26px;line-height: 1.2em;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .uagb-icon-list__source-image{width: 18px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap svg{width: 18px;height: 18px;font-size: 18px;color: #1573a2;fill: #1573a2;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{padding: 0px;border-radius: 0px;border-width: 0px;align-self: center;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__label{font-size: 20px;text-decoration: !important;line-height: em;color: #1573a2;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .uagb-icon-list__wrap{display: flex;flex-direction: column;justify-content: center;-webkit-box-pack: center;-ms-flex-pack: center;-webkit-box-align: flex-start;-ms-flex-align: flex-start;align-items: flex-start;padding-top: 0px;padding-right: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;padding-left: 0px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .uagb-icon-list__label{text-align: left;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child{text-decoration: !important;font-size: 20px;line-height: em;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64.wp-block-uagb-icon-list .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child{margin-left: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 24px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{margin-left: 15px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child {flex-direction: row-reverse;}.uagb-block-83befcbf.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-83befcbf.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child:hover .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-75d2f158.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-75d2f158.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child:hover .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-0d14af90.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-0d14af90.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child:hover .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-4dd6f9d3.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-4dd6f9d3.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child:hover .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-28c58e21.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}.uagb-block-28c58e21.wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child:hover .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{background:  !important;border-color:  !important;}@media only screen and (max-width: 976px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-85559158{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-85559158 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-85559158{padding-top: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;padding-left: 10px;padding-right: 10px;margin-top: 60px !important;margin-bottom: 60px !important;margin-left: 0px;margin-right: 0px;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-ea16301a{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-ea16301a > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a.uagb-layout-grid > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{grid-template-columns: minmax( 1px, 1fr)  minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;grid-template-rows: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;align-items: stretch;justify-items: stretch;align-content: stretch;justify-content: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a{padding-top: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;padding-left: 0px;padding-right: 0px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-26ccc5c9{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-26ccc5c9 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-26ccc5c9{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #ffffff;;grid-column: span 1;grid-row: span 1;align-self: stretch;justify-self: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-84f50fa3{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-84f50fa3 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-84f50fa3{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-position: 54% 48%;background-size: cover;background-image: url(https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2025\/03\/Grow-with-your-family_545x307.webp);background-clip: padding-box;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-271bf38d{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-271bf38d > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-271bf38d{padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 40px;padding-left: 40px;padding-right: 40px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-ab8d0982{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-ab8d0982 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982.uagb-layout-grid{grid-template-columns: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;grid-template-rows: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;align-items: stretch;justify-items: stretch;align-content: stretch;justify-content: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982.wp-block-uagb-container > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not( .spectra-container-link-overlay ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox):not(.wp-block-uagb-lottie):not(.uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap){width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982.wp-block-uagb-container > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox){width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d4c1a7e3 .uagb-heading-text{font-size: 12px;letter-spacing: 1px;}.uagb-block-f9d54988.wp-block-uagb-separator{text-align: center;}.uagb-block-f9d54988.wp-block-uagb-separator--text .wp-block-uagb-separator-element .uagb-html-tag{font-style: normal;margin-bottom: initial;line-height: 1em;}.uagb-block-f9d54988 .uagb-separator-spacing-wrapper{padding-top: 10px;padding-bottom: 10px;}.uagb-block-f9d54988.wp-block-uagb-separator:not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--text):not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--icon) .wp-block-uagb-separator__inner{-webkit-mask-size: 5px 100%;width: 100%;border-top-color: #eabe5e;border-top-style: solid;margin-top: 5px;margin-bottom: 5px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .uagb-icon-list__source-image{width: 18px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap svg{width: 18px;height: 18px;font-size: 18px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap {padding: 0px;border-width: 0px;align-self: center;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .uagb-icon-list__wrap{display: flex;flex-direction: column;justify-content: center;-webkit-box-pack: center;-ms-flex-pack: center;-webkit-box-align: flex-start;-ms-flex-align: flex-start;align-items: flex-start;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd.wp-block-uagb-icon-list .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child{margin-left: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 24px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-48a597f8{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-48a597f8 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-48a597f8{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #ffffff;;grid-column: span 1;grid-row: span 1;align-self: stretch;justify-self: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-22a41c70{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-22a41c70 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-22a41c70{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-position: 54% 48%;background-size: cover;background-image: url(https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2025\/03\/HelpFamiliesGrow2.webp);background-clip: padding-box;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-562935bf{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-562935bf > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-562935bf{padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 40px;padding-left: 40px;padding-right: 40px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-5a1442f2{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-5a1442f2 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2.uagb-layout-grid{grid-template-columns: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;grid-template-rows: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;align-items: stretch;justify-items: stretch;align-content: stretch;justify-content: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2.wp-block-uagb-container > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not( .spectra-container-link-overlay ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox):not(.wp-block-uagb-lottie):not(.uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap){width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2.wp-block-uagb-container > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox){width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d9c0200f .uagb-heading-text{font-size: 12px;letter-spacing: 1px;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e.wp-block-uagb-separator{text-align: center;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e.wp-block-uagb-separator--text .wp-block-uagb-separator-element .uagb-html-tag{font-style: normal;margin-bottom: initial;line-height: 1em;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e .uagb-separator-spacing-wrapper{padding-top: 10px;padding-bottom: 10px;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e.wp-block-uagb-separator:not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--text):not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--icon) .wp-block-uagb-separator__inner{-webkit-mask-size: 5px 100%;width: 100%;border-top-color: #eabe5e;border-top-style: solid;margin-top: 5px;margin-bottom: 5px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .uagb-icon-list__source-image{width: 18px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap svg{width: 18px;height: 18px;font-size: 18px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap {padding: 0px;border-width: 0px;align-self: center;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .uagb-icon-list__wrap{display: flex;flex-direction: column;justify-content: center;-webkit-box-pack: center;-ms-flex-pack: center;-webkit-box-align: flex-start;-ms-flex-align: flex-start;align-items: flex-start;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64.wp-block-uagb-icon-list .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child{margin-left: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 24px;}}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-85559158{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-85559158 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-85559158{padding-top: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;padding-left: 10px;padding-right: 10px;margin-top: 60px !important;margin-bottom: 60px !important;margin-left: 0px;margin-right: 0px;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-ea16301a{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-ea16301a > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a.uagb-layout-grid > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{grid-template-columns: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;grid-template-rows: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;align-items: stretch;justify-items: stretch;align-content: stretch;justify-content: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ea16301a{padding-top: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;padding-left: 0px;padding-right: 0px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-26ccc5c9{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-26ccc5c9 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-26ccc5c9{padding-top: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;padding-left: 0px;padding-right: 0px;margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px;margin-right: 0px;order: initial;background-color: #ffffff;;flex-wrap: wrap;grid-column: span 1;grid-row: span 1;align-self: stretch;justify-self: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-84f50fa3{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-84f50fa3 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-84f50fa3{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-image: url(https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2025\/03\/Grow-with-your-family_545x307.webp);background-clip: padding-box;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-271bf38d{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-271bf38d > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-271bf38d{padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 40px;padding-left: 40px;padding-right: 40px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-ab8d0982{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-ab8d0982 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982.uagb-layout-grid{grid-template-columns: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;grid-template-rows: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;align-items: stretch;justify-items: stretch;align-content: stretch;justify-content: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982.wp-block-uagb-container > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not( .spectra-container-link-overlay ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox):not(.wp-block-uagb-lottie):not(.uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap){width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ab8d0982.wp-block-uagb-container > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox){width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d4c1a7e3.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading {padding-left: 40px;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d4c1a7e3 .uagb-heading-text{letter-spacing: 4px;}.uagb-block-f9d54988.wp-block-uagb-separator{text-align: center;}.uagb-block-f9d54988.wp-block-uagb-separator--text .wp-block-uagb-separator-element .uagb-html-tag{font-style: normal;margin-bottom: initial;line-height: 1em;}.uagb-block-f9d54988 .uagb-separator-spacing-wrapper{padding-top: 10px;padding-bottom: 10px;}.uagb-block-f9d54988.wp-block-uagb-separator:not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--text):not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--icon) .wp-block-uagb-separator__inner{-webkit-mask-size: 5px 100%;width: 100%;border-top-color: #eabe5e;border-top-style: solid;margin-top: 5px;margin-bottom: 5px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .uagb-icon-list__source-image{width: 18px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap svg{width: 18px;height: 18px;font-size: 18px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{padding: 0px;border-width: 0px;align-self: center;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd .uagb-icon-list__wrap{display: flex;flex-direction: column;justify-content: center;-webkit-box-pack: center;-ms-flex-pack: center;-webkit-box-align: flex-start;-ms-flex-align: flex-start;align-items: flex-start;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-cbb8c5bd.wp-block-uagb-icon-list .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child{margin-left: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 24px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-48a597f8{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-48a597f8 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-48a597f8{padding-top: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px;padding-left: 0px;padding-right: 0px;margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px;margin-right: 0px;order: initial;background-color: #ffffff;;flex-wrap: wrap;grid-column: span 1;grid-row: span 1;align-self: stretch;justify-self: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-22a41c70{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-22a41c70 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-22a41c70{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-image: url(https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2025\/03\/HelpFamiliesGrow2.webp);background-clip: padding-box;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-562935bf{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-562935bf > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-562935bf{padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 40px;padding-left: 40px;padding-right: 40px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-5a1442f2{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-5a1442f2 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2.uagb-layout-grid{grid-template-columns: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;grid-template-rows: minmax( 1px, 1fr) ;align-items: stretch;justify-items: stretch;align-content: stretch;justify-content: stretch;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2.wp-block-uagb-container > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not( .spectra-container-link-overlay ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox):not(.wp-block-uagb-lottie):not(.uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap){width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5a1442f2.wp-block-uagb-container > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox){width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d9c0200f.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading {padding-left: 40px;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-d9c0200f .uagb-heading-text{letter-spacing: 4px;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e.wp-block-uagb-separator{text-align: center;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e.wp-block-uagb-separator--text .wp-block-uagb-separator-element .uagb-html-tag{font-style: normal;margin-bottom: initial;line-height: 1em;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e .uagb-separator-spacing-wrapper{padding-top: 10px;padding-bottom: 10px;}.uagb-block-aa17f10e.wp-block-uagb-separator:not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--text):not(.wp-block-uagb-separator--icon) .wp-block-uagb-separator__inner{-webkit-mask-size: 5px 100%;width: 100%;border-top-color: #eabe5e;border-top-style: solid;margin-top: 5px;margin-bottom: 5px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .uagb-icon-list__source-image{width: 18px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap svg{width: 18px;height: 18px;font-size: 18px;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child .uagb-icon-list__source-wrap{padding: 0px;border-width: 0px;align-self: center;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64 .uagb-icon-list__wrap{display: flex;flex-direction: column;justify-content: center;-webkit-box-pack: center;-ms-flex-pack: center;-webkit-box-align: flex-start;-ms-flex-align: flex-start;align-items: flex-start;}.wp-block-uagb-icon-list.uagb-block-ced20c64.wp-block-uagb-icon-list .wp-block-uagb-icon-list-child{margin-left: 0;margin-right: 0;margin-bottom: 24px;}}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ecebc267 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ecebc267 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ecebc267 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ecebc267 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ecebc267 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-ecebc267{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ecebc267{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;background: linear-gradient(130deg, #ffffff 60%, #f8f8f8 46%);;background-clip: padding-box;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;}@media only screen and (max-width: 976px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-ecebc267{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ecebc267{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background: linear-gradient(130deg, #ffffff 60%, #f8f8f8 46%);;background-clip: padding-box;}}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-ecebc267{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-ecebc267{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background: linear-gradient(130deg, #ffffff 60%, #f8f8f8 46%);;background-clip: padding-box;flex-wrap: wrap;}}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-8d4ac8a0 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-8d4ac8a0 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-8d4ac8a0 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-8d4ac8a0 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-8d4ac8a0 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-8d4ac8a0{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-8d4ac8a0 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: row;align-items: flex-start;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;row-gap: 32px;column-gap: 32px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-8d4ac8a0{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;padding-top: 80px;padding-bottom: 80px;padding-left: 12px;padding-right: 12px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;row-gap: 32px;column-gap: 32px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{max-width: 25%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;max-width: 25% !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{max-width: 25%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;max-width: 25% !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{max-width: 25%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;max-width: 25% !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{max-width: 25%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;max-width: 25% !important;}@media only screen and (max-width: 976px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-8d4ac8a0{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-8d4ac8a0 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-8d4ac8a0{padding-top: 80px;padding-bottom: 80px;padding-left: 12px;padding-right: 12px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;max-width:  !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;max-width:  !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;max-width:  !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;max-width:  !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-8d4ac8a0{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-8d4ac8a0 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-8d4ac8a0{padding-top: 80px;padding-bottom: 80px;padding-left: 12px;padding-right: 12px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;flex-wrap: wrap;max-width: 100% !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;flex-wrap: wrap;max-width: 100% !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;flex-wrap: wrap;max-width: 100% !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-047d9c4f{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-047d9c4f{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;flex-wrap: wrap;max-width: 100% !important;}}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-f064f662.wp-block-uagb-container{color: #ffffff;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-f064f662.wp-block-uagb-container *{color: #ffffff;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-f064f662 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-f064f662 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-f064f662 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-f064f662 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-f064f662 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-f064f662{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-f064f662 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;row-gap: 20px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-f064f662{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 20px;padding-left: 12px;padding-right: 12px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;background-color: #25282a;;row-gap: 20px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-dbd5f6c0{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: row;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;row-gap: 20px;column-gap: 32px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;flex-direction: row;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;row-gap: 20px;column-gap: 32px;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0.wp-block-uagb-container > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not( .spectra-container-link-overlay ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox):not(.wp-block-uagb-lottie):not(.uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap){width: auto !important;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0.wp-block-uagb-container > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap > *:not( .wp-block-uagb-column ):not( .wp-block-uagb-section ):not( .uagb-container__shape ):not( .uagb-container__video-wrap ):not( .uagb-slider-container ):not(.spectra-image-gallery__control-lightbox){width: auto !important;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default figure img{box-shadow: 0px 0px 0 #00000070;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image .wp-block-uagb-image__figure figcaption{font-style: normal;align-self: center;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay figure img{box-shadow: 0px 0px 0 #00000070;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay .wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay__color-wrapper{opacity: 0.2;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay .wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay__inner{left: 15px;right: 15px;top: 15px;bottom: 15px;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay .wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay__inner .uagb-image-heading{font-style: normal;color: #fff;opacity: 1;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay .wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay__inner .uagb-image-heading a{color: #fff;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay .wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay__inner .uagb-image-caption{opacity: 0;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay .wp-block-uagb-image__figure:hover .wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay__color-wrapper{opacity: 1;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image .wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay__inner .uagb-image-separator{width: 30%;border-top-width: 2px;border-top-color: #fff;opacity: 0;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image .wp-block-uagb-image__figure img{width: 292px;height: 48px;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image .wp-block-uagb-image__figure:hover .wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay__inner .uagb-image-caption{opacity: 1;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image .wp-block-uagb-image__figure:hover .wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay__inner .uagb-image-separator{opacity: 1;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default figure:hover img{box-shadow: 0px 0px 0 #00000070;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image--layout-overlay figure:hover img{box-shadow: 0px 0px 0 #00000070;}@media only screen and (max-width: 976px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-f064f662{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-f064f662 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-f064f662{padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 20px;padding-left: 12px;padding-right: 12px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #25282a;;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-dbd5f6c0{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image .wp-block-uagb-image__figure img{width: 280px;height: 45px;}}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-f064f662{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-f064f662 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-f064f662{padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 20px;padding-left: 12px;padding-right: 12px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #25282a;;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-dbd5f6c0{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-dbd5f6c0{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;flex-wrap: wrap;}.uagb-block-644e4891.wp-block-uagb-image .wp-block-uagb-image__figure img{width: 280px;height: 45px;}}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-beb12949{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-beb12949 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;background-color: #006c5b;;}@media only screen and (max-width: 976px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-beb12949{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-beb12949 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #006c5b;;}}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-beb12949{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-beb12949 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #006c5b;;}}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-beb12949{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-beb12949 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;background-color: #006c5b;;}@media only screen and (max-width: 976px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-beb12949{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-beb12949 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #006c5b;;}}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-beb12949{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-beb12949 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-beb12949{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #006c5b;;}}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5096eaa1 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5096eaa1 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5096eaa1 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5096eaa1 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5096eaa1 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-5096eaa1{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-5096eaa1 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5096eaa1{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-color: inherit;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-89b3b7a8 .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-89b3b7a8 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-89b3b7a8 .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-89b3b7a8 .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-89b3b7a8 .uagb-container__video-wrap video{opacity: 1;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-89b3b7a8{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-89b3b7a8 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1320px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-direction: column;align-items: center;justify-content: center;flex-wrap: nowrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-89b3b7a8{box-shadow: 0px 0px   #00000070 ;padding-top: 2em;padding-bottom: 2em;padding-left: 2em;padding-right: 2em;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;overflow: visible;order: initial;border-top-left-radius: 30px;border-top-right-radius: 30px;border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;border-bottom-right-radius: 30px;border-color: inherit;background-color: #ebebeb;;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-97ee3d2f.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-desc-text{margin-bottom: 15px;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-97ee3d2f.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight{font-style: normal;font-weight: Default;background: #007cba;color: #fff;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-97ee3d2f.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight::-moz-selection{color: #fff;background: #007cba;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading.uagb-block-97ee3d2f.wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading .uagb-highlight::selection{color: #fff;background: #007cba;-webkit-text-fill-color: #fff;}.uagb-block-232092dc.wp-block-uagb-buttons.uagb-buttons__outer-wrap .uagb-buttons__wrap {gap: 10px;}.uagb-block-232092dc.uagb-buttons__outer-wrap .uagb-buttons__wrap {justify-content: left;align-items: center;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611.wp-block-uagb-buttons-child .uagb-buttons-repeater{background: #f3bd48;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .wp-block-button__link{background: #f3bd48;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .wp-block-button__link:hover{background: #f4deaa;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .wp-block-button__link:focus{background: #f4deaa;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-button__wrapper .uagb-buttons-repeater{color: #25282a;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .wp-block-button__link.has-text-color:hover .uagb-button__link{color: #25282a;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .wp-block-button__link.has-text-color:focus .uagb-button__link{color: #25282a;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-button__wrapper  .uagb-buttons-repeater.wp-block-button__link{box-shadow: 0px 0px 0 #00000026;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-button__wrapper  .uagb-buttons-repeater.wp-block-button__link:hover{box-shadow: 0px 0px 0 #00000026;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater.wp-block-button__link{border-color: #333;border-style: none;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater.wp-block-button__link:hover{border-color: #333;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater.wp-block-button__link:focus{border-color: #333;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611.wp-block-button.is-style-outline .uagb-button__wrapper .wp-block-button__link.uagb-buttons-repeater{border-color: #333;border-style: none;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611.wp-block-button.is-style-outline .uagb-button__wrapper .wp-block-button__link.uagb-buttons-repeater:hover{border-color: #333;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater .uagb-button__link{color: #25282a;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater:hover .uagb-button__link{color: #25282a;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater:focus .uagb-button__link{color: #25282a;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater .uagb-button__icon > svg{width: 15px;height: 15px;fill: #25282a;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater:hover .uagb-button__icon > svg{fill: #25282a;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater:focus .uagb-button__icon > svg{fill: #25282a;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater .uagb-button__icon-position-after{margin-left: 8px;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater .uagb-button__icon-position-before{margin-right: 8px;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-button__link{text-transform: normal;text-decoration: none;}@media only screen and (max-width: 976px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-5096eaa1{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-5096eaa1 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5096eaa1{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-89b3b7a8{width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-89b3b7a8 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 1024px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-89b3b7a8{padding-top: 2px;padding-bottom: 2px;padding-left: 2px;padding-right: 2px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #ebebeb;;}.uagb-block-232092dc.uagb-buttons__outer-wrap .uagb-buttons__wrap {justify-content: center;align-items: center;}.uagb-block-232092dc.uagb-buttons__outer-wrap .uagb-buttons__wrap .wp-block-button{width: auto;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611.wp-block-button.is-style-outline .uagb-button__wrapper .wp-block-button__link.uagb-buttons-repeater{border-style: none;border-color: #333;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater.wp-block-button__link{border-style: none;border-color: #333;}}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-5096eaa1{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-5096eaa1 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-5096eaa1{margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container .uagb-block-89b3b7a8{max-width: 100%;width: 100%;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-is-root-container.alignfull.uagb-block-89b3b7a8 > .uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap{--inner-content-custom-width: min( 100%, 767px);max-width: var(--inner-content-custom-width);width: 100%;flex-wrap: wrap;}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-89b3b7a8{padding-top: 2px;padding-bottom: 2px;padding-left: 2px;padding-right: 2px;margin-top:  !important;margin-bottom:  !important;order: initial;background-color: #ebebeb;;}.uagb-block-232092dc.uagb-buttons__outer-wrap .uagb-buttons__wrap {justify-content: center;align-items: center;}.uagb-block-232092dc.uagb-buttons__outer-wrap .uagb-buttons__wrap .wp-block-button{width: auto;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611.wp-block-button.is-style-outline .uagb-button__wrapper .wp-block-button__link.uagb-buttons-repeater{border-style: none;border-color: #333;}.wp-block-uagb-buttons .uagb-block-00708611 .uagb-buttons-repeater.wp-block-button__link{border-style: none;border-color: #333;}}\";s:2:\"js\";s:161:\"document.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function(){ window.addEventListener( 'load', function() {\n\tUAGBButtonChild.init( '.uagb-block-00708611' );\n});\n });\";s:18:\"current_block_list\";a:17:{i:0;s:14:\"uagb\/container\";i:1;s:12:\"core\/heading\";i:2;s:9:\"core\/html\";i:3;s:10:\"core\/group\";i:6;s:21:\"uagb\/advanced-heading\";i:7;s:14:\"uagb\/separator\";i:8;s:14:\"uagb\/icon-list\";i:9;s:20:\"uagb\/icon-list-child\";i:10;s:11:\"core\/search\";i:13;s:18:\"core\/legacy-widget\";i:16;s:10:\"uagb\/image\";i:17;s:17:\"core\/social-links\";i:18;s:16:\"core\/social-link\";i:19;s:14:\"core\/paragraph\";i:20;s:30:\"meta-box\/fl-conditional-blocks\";i:21;s:12:\"uagb\/buttons\";i:22;s:18:\"uagb\/buttons-child\";}s:8:\"uag_flag\";b:1;s:11:\"uag_version\";s:10:\"1776600200\";s:6:\"gfonts\";a:1:{s:7:\"Default\";a:2:{s:10:\"fontfamily\";s:7:\"Default\";s:12:\"fontvariants\";a:0:{}}}s:10:\"gfonts_url\";s:71:\"\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css?family=Default&subset=latin&display=fallback\";s:12:\"gfonts_files\";a:0:{}s:14:\"uag_faq_layout\";b:0;}"]},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/11\/image_e7b8b8.jpg",1024,1024,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Margaret","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/margaret-coylefamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"There's a loneliness epidemic. But what if we don't have to avoid loneliness like a plague? Steve & Jennifer DeWitt offer a redemptive approach.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"\n<ul>\n<li>Connect with Steve DeWitt and hear more of his thoughts on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.dewitt.925\/\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>You can grab your copy of Steve & Jennifer's new book, \"Loneliness: Don't Hate it or Waste it. Redeem it\" <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moodypublishers.com\/loneliness\">here<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=d5ab8BOu4LE\">Song<\/a> Mentioned: \"One is the Loneliest Number\" by Three Dog Night.<\/li>\n<li>Don't miss out on FamilyLife's amazing Black Friday sale: Weekend to Remember gift cards are half off and devotionals are discounted from Nov. 18 to Dec. 2 at <a href=\"http:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/\">shop.familylife.com<\/a>!<br \/>\n<hr>\n<\/li>\n<li>Find resources from this podcast at <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/product-category\/radio-resources\/\">shop.familylife.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/product-category\/past-radio-resources\/\">See resources from our past podcasts.<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Find more content and resources on the <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/flministries\/app\/\">FamilyLife's app<\/a>!<\/li>\n<li>Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303\">Apple Podcast<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm?si=d6dfa8d2415f4750\">Spotify<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/flministries\/familylife-podcast-network\/\">FamilyLife Podcast Network<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2024-11-18.pdf","transcript_content":"\nFamilyLife Today\u00ae with Dave and Ann Wilson - Web Version Transcript\r\n\r\nThis content has been generated by an artificial intelligence language model. While we strive for accuracy and quality, please note that the information provided will most likely not be entirely error-free or up-to-date. We recommend independently verifying the content with the originally-released audio. This transcript is provided for your personal use and general information purposes only. References to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the use or interpretation of this content.\r\n\r\nLoneliness: Don\u2019t Hate It or Waste It\r\n\r\nGuest:Steve DeWitt\r\n\r\nFrom the series:Loneliness: Don\u2019t Hate It or Waste It (Day 1 of 3)\r\n\r\nAir date:November 18, 2024\r\n\r\nShelby: Hey, Shelby Abbott here. Are you tired of the tension and the division that exists in things like your family gatherings; and your friend groups; and certainly, on social media? I know I am. Well, Psalm 1:33 tells us that it's good for believers to live in unity with one another; but in today's kind of easily-angered and often-offended world, that just feels impossible; doesn't it? It feels like wishful thinking. Well, that's why I'm excited to invite you to join us, here at FamilyLife, for a five-week video series from our friend\u2014author and comedian\u2014Amberly Neese. It's called \u201cMoving Toward Each Other in the Middle of a Divisive World.\u201d In it, Amberly just guides us through how to build peace in our natural circles of influence when differing thoughts, and opinions, and beliefs threaten to create division. You could sign up, right now, by clicking on the link in the show notes or heading over to FamilyLife.com\/FindingCommonGround. Again, you can download this five-week video series at FamilyLife.com\/FindingCommonGround; or just click on the link in the show notes. \r\n\r\nAlright, let's get into the program.\r\n\r\nSteve:We have to be realistic about life in a fallen, broken world, where the final flourishing and fullness is yet to come. Loneliness is part of this fallen world. Someday, we won't feel lonely ever again; but here and now, it's going to be a part of the human experience.\r\n\r\nShelby: Welcome to FamilyLife Today, where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most. I'm Shelby Abbott, and your hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson. You can find us at FamilyLifeToday.com.\r\n\r\nAnn: This is FamilyLife Today.\r\n\r\nDave:Alright; you didn't know I was going to do this, did you?\r\n\r\nAnn: No; I didn't, actually. \r\n\r\nDave:The topic we're hitting today reminded me of a song that everybody knows\u2014well, maybe some of our younger listeners won't know\u2014because this was 1968 [singing]: \u201cOne is the loneliest number that you'll ever do.\u201d Come on; you're not going to sing? \u201cTwo can be as bad as one. It's the loneliest number; it\u2019s the number one.\u201d You know who that was? \r\n\r\nAnn: No, but I remember the song.\r\n\r\nDave:Yes; it's Three Dog Night. You know who that is, Steve?\r\n\r\nSteve:I don't know that song; I know the group.\r\n\r\nDave:Wait a minute; you don't know that song? I just said everybody knows that song!\r\n\r\nAnn: He\u2019s too young.\r\n\r\nDave: I got to look in the audio room: \u201cJim Mitchell, Bruce Goff, do you guys know that song?\u201d \r\n\r\nJim: Oh, yeah.\r\n\r\nDave: Three Dog Night. \r\n\r\nBruce: I know the song; I don't know the group. \r\n\r\nDave: You don't know Three Dog Night?  Well, that sort of does date my age a little bit. I was 11 years old when that song came out; and I didn't even know it, but it's written by Harry Nilsson. You guys don't know who Harry Nilsson is?\r\n\r\nJennifer: No. Are we looking at you blankly?\r\n\r\nDave:So much for classic rock history, right here.\r\n\r\nAnn: If Bob Lepine was here, he would be with singing with you. \r\n\r\nDave:He would be singing with me. I was looking at you, thinking you'd sing with me. \r\n\r\nAnn: I couldn\u2019t remember the words. \r\n\r\nDave:Come on.\r\n\r\nAnn: No; sorry. \r\n\r\nDave: Anyway, it's this song that really became hit number five in the U.S., because I think it tapped into something that people feel. We got Steve DeWitt with us today, pastor, author of a book called Loneliness: Don't Hate It or Waste It. Redeem It. So Steve, when I picked up your book, and started reading about that topic, I don't know why I thought of that song. I guess you didn't, huh?\r\n\r\nSteve:I didn't. I do talk about a different song, Alone Again (Naturally).\r\n\r\nDave:I was going to sing that one for you\u2014\r\n\r\nAnn: I remember that song.\r\n\r\nDave: \u2014[singing]: \u201cAlone again, naturally.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: I remember that song. So when you mentioned it in the book, I was like singing right along with you.\r\n\r\nSteve:I think you just picked the wrong song today.\r\n\r\nDave:I think I did. Usually, I've got the whole room singing; but today I am like, \u201cOkay, they'll probably edit all that out, Steve, so it doesn't even matter that happened.\u201d \r\n\r\nBut Steve, talk to us a little bit about\u2014tell our listeners what you do\u2014I know you're a pastor in northwest Indiana; it\u2019s the home of Ball State University.\r\n\r\nSteve:Oh, yes.\r\n\r\nDave:Yeah, the greatest university in the Midwest. Of course, you agree with that.\r\n\r\nSteve:I\u2019m\u2014\r\n\r\nDave:I\u2019m striking out here today, folks.\r\n\r\nSteve:I am for all Indiana universities as my tax dollars go to support them.\r\n\r\nDave:There you go. So how long have you been a pastor there?\u2014'97?\r\n\r\nSteve:Yes, I've been, for 27 years. I've been the senior pastor of Bethel Church in northwest Indiana. And before that, I was a youth and worship pastor in Indianapolis; and I went to college and seminary in Michigan.\r\n\r\nDave:Where'd you go?\r\n\r\nSteve:I went to Cornerstone.\r\n\r\nDave:Oh, yeah; near Grand Rapids, right?\r\n\r\nSteve:Yep; born and raised in Iowa, so I'm a Midwest guy.\r\n\r\nDave:And [you] sort of became known as the \u201cBachelor Pastor.\u201d Tell us what that means.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, that's true. It's not a title I ever aspired to; it just kind of came to me, because in God's providence, His plan for my story was that I would be a single pastor for a couple of decades. And over time\u2014because that is a little unusual\u2014over time, it was a term of endearment, I think, that people called me that. It's kind of what I was known for.\r\n\r\nDave:And you're not new to radio. You've got\u2014is it daily?\u2014a radio show called The Journey. Tell us what that is. And by the way, shout out to RK Media. Roger and Lori Kemp and the team produce your show. It's on every single day, and it's pretty much your sermons?\r\n\r\nSteve:It is; it's my Sunday messages. Yeah, we're a podcast; we're a radio program, and we're on in stations across the country.\r\n\r\nAnn: Yeah, like us. We love RK Media.\r\n\r\nDave:Oh, they're the best.\r\n\r\nAnn: We love Roger and Lori. And we are praying for you, Lori; shout out to you.\r\n\r\nSteve:Yes, yes; for sure. \r\n\r\nDave: So talk about this book; I know it's your third book.\r\n\r\nAnn: Let me just say, \u201cThank you for writing this\u201d; because I think, as a listener, if you're listening to that title, Loneliness\u2014whether you're married, whether you're a single mom, whether you're single, whether you're a single dad, or just living life\u2014we all face this; and it's a big deal. I think we're feeling lonelier than we ever have. I'm sure you probably know the stats on that.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, it is exactly true. All of the statistics indicate the same thing, that we are lonelier than we have ever been, as a society, which is ironic; we're digitally more connected than any human beings in the history of the world. And simultaneously, we are the loneliest people. The pervasiveness of that\u2014it comes out\u2014and almost every week, there's another study about the damaging effects of loneliness, not just relationally, but even physiologically. All the numbers are going higher all the time. Governments are trying to figure out: \u201cWhat do we do about this?\u201d And so it's a huge problem. \r\n\r\nI somewhat, uniquely, come to the matter very personally and pastorally. So personally, I lived many years alone. There's nothing wrong with that, and it was God's plan for me. But I had a long time to think about this ache that I had in my heart: \u201cWhat is this?\u201d and \u201cWhy do I feel this?\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: Tell us what it felt like.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, I think most people probably know what that ache is of loneliness. It's a sense that something is missing\u2014something that is longed for; or maybe, an expectation has been unmet relationally; or maybe, a relationship that once had been there, now isn\u2019t\u2014and so, if you lose a spouse, or a friend, or a loved one, that longing for them to be in your life again, is similar\u2014these are related aches. All of them, I think, come under the rubric of loneliness. \r\n\r\nAnd so, for all those years as I'm pastoring people\u2014and by God's grace, I pastor in a large setting; so I have thousands of people all around me all the time\u2014and yet, I was alone. I went home to a quiet house that was exactly the way it was when I left. And so putting my pastor hat on, and theologian hat on, I had a lot of time to think about: \u201cBiblically, what is this?\u201d and \u201cWhy do I feel this way?\u201d and \u201cDoes the Bible have any solutions to loneliness?\u201d and \u201cIf so, what are those?\u201d\u2014because I really needed them in my own life.\r\n\r\nDave:Now, did you feel\u2014you used the word before: \u201cache\u201d\u2014did you feel that? I don't know if you're an extrovert or introvert. I'm an extrovert when Ann leaves. If she's gone for a couple days, every meal, I eat at somebody's house\u2014\"Hey, Dave's here again,\u201d\u2014it's just like I'm an extrovert. I hate going home alone\u2014I go play ball; I go play music; whatever\u2014I'm finding ways to do that so I can\u2019t feel that ache when I'm not with Ann. Is that something that you felt every day?\r\n\r\nSteve:I didn't feel it every day, for sure. And being a part of a healthy church is one of the solutions to loneliness, and I had all of that helping me. But at the end of the day, holidays, Steve\u2014not as Pastor Steve, but just the guy, Steve\u2014there was definitely this sense that there's a dimension that I am made for, which is missing in my life. One of the things I talk about with loneliness is it's not so much the presence of something\u2014as the absence of something\u2014and not just horizontally but, also, vertically. To understand loneliness: we are, first and foremost, lonely for God. We are made in His image; we're made for Him. And to understand loneliness, it has to begin with that vertical [relationship] because, as Augustine said, \u201cOur hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: And what would you say to the people, who are saying, \u201cI need skin; I need skin\u201d? You know how we say that: \u201cBut God doesn't have skin. I need somebody with skin on.\u201d What would you say about that? We're restless and we're longing for God.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, I go back to how God made us in the first place. Key to understanding loneliness is the imago dei, the image of God. To understand why we feel this way, we have to understand how God made us to be like Him. And so that includes then, within the Trinity, this remarkable unity so that we say that God is one\u2014they're in absolute harmony\u2014but also, this diversity that they are three. We see both the social need that God made in us and, also, that longing for harmony, and fullness, and wholeness with somebody else. \r\n\r\nSin brings that all into chaos. In Genesis 3, we see Adam, right away, blames God; and Eve blames Satan; and they feel naked. The entrance of loneliness into the world is that moment in Genesis 3 when sin entered into the world. Loneliness then is not a sin itself\u2014that's one of my missions\u2014is people feel guilty for feeling lonely. We shouldn't feel guilty for feeling lonely. God made us to feel lonely; it's actually a good thing. And when we understand why we feel lonely, we're halfway to mitigating the loneliness.\r\n\r\nDave:How about\u2014you're talking about Genesis 3\u2014if you go back a chapter, and you write about this, where God creates Adam. We write about this in our FamilyLife Preparing for Marriage; we have a workbook for couples before they get married. I'll read something from Preparing for Marriage; it says, \u201cSoon after God created man, He said, \u2018It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper fit for him.\u2019 Genesis 2:18, up to this point, God had looked over each part of creation and said it was good; but not this time\u2014something more was needed\u2014Adam shouldn't be alone. No sinner flaw was in the world\u2014Adam experienced God in the midst of perfection\u2014yet, Adam was still alone.\u201d \r\n\r\nYou're a theologian; you're a pastor: \u201cWhat is going on? Because in Genesis 3, we have the fall; but even before Genesis 3, God is saying, \u201cAdam's alone\u201d; and yet, he has a relationship with God.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, I think it goes back to, again: \u201cWhy did God make Adam in His image?\u201d\u2014it is to reflect what God is like. And so it was not only\u2014not good for Adam to be alone\u2014it was not good for the reflection that Adam is alone, because God isn't alone. And for humanity to reflect what God is like, there had to be another. Eve was created, not to solve Adam's loneliness; it doesn't say that he was lonely.\r\n\r\nAnn: That's a good point.\r\n\r\nSteve:It says that he was alone. And that should be an encouragement that there is a huge difference between being alone and being lonely\u2014aloneness is neutral; loneliness is bad; solitude is good\u2014and when we can kind of put our emotions in those categories, it helps us to understand, not only why we feel the way that we do, but why God made us the way that He made us. \r\n\r\nI would look into that creation of Eve as being God's saying, \u201cHumanity does not fully reflect what we're like yet.\u201d God delights in His plurality in unity\u2014and think about Jesus talking about the love between the Father and the Son in the upper room, for example\u2014so deep, and enriched, and meaningful. God wanted Adam to similarly experience that flourishing joy; to do so, He made Eve, like Adam, but different. Similarly, we see in the Trinity that\u2014God the Father, God the Son, the Spirit: they are co-eternal; they share the same nature, but there are three different personalities\u2014they're not exactly the same. And Adam and Eve are not exactly the same, even though they share the same nature. And we see the brilliance of God in creating the way He created us.\r\n\r\nIt also explains then, in Genesis 3\u2014when that is broken\u2014why we feel the way that we do. Something is missing between us and God; and also, between Adam and Eve.\r\n\r\nAnn: Yeah, take us there; because as I was reading your book, I was like, \u201cOh, this is so\u201d\u2014in the way you described that brokenness in Genesis 3. Take us there.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, I talk about nakedness. Do you want to go to nakedness? Is that where you're going here?\r\n\r\nAnn: Yes.\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, truth be told, I had a lot more about nakedness; but the publisher thought it was too much.\r\n\r\nDave: Really?\r\n\r\nSteve: So yeah; it's true. But I think nakedness is such an interesting and, even, visceral reality: all of us recognize that we feel naked. And it's not when we're alone that we feel\u2014we shower or whatever\u2014we don't even think about it. But when we're around other people, and we're naked; i.e., the health club shower or whatever it might be, all of a sudden, we become self-conscious. \r\n\r\nI talk about why that is: that nakedness is not the absence of clothing; it is the absence of righteousness. And here we are, all these centuries later, and we are living out the same Garden of Eden reality. It's theology on display\u2014we feel shame\u2014and that shame is a function of that longing that we have to be able to be vulnerable with another human being. But because of sin, we can't be completely vulnerable; we always have to hide something. And our clothes are not so much about fashion as much as they are about that ancient hiding. All over the world, humanity\u2014whether they're Christian or not\u2014is living out the reality of the theology of Genesis 3.\r\n\r\nAnn: That's deep, man.\r\n\r\nDave:That's deep.\r\n\r\nAnn: It's good though: the absence of righteousness. I don't think I had thought of that before, until I read that; like, \u201cWhoa!\u201d I had to sit in it for a minute, just to understand it. But there is a vulnerability, in our nakedness, in even exposing who we are. But I think, too, we long for someone to truly know us, to truly see us, not necessarily in our nakedness, but\u2014\r\n\r\nDave:\u2014emotionally;\u2014\r\n\r\nAnn: \u2014emotionally.\r\n\r\nDave:\u2014soul.\r\n\r\nAnn: I think that's where the loneliness comes in, when we have no one that does that, that sees us and loves us.\r\n\r\nSteve: Think about the single scene right now, where people are feeling that longing for vulnerability; they're lonely. And so they have a series of sexual encounters, hoping that that total vulnerability with another human being will satisfy that longing in their heart. And the testimony, of those who live that lifestyle, is that it doesn't. And here we are, back in Ecclesiastes, where Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 2: \u201cI had more of this than anybody else; and yet, it's meaningless without God.\u201d \r\n\r\nI would maintain that longing is, first of all, theological; it is vertical. And through Christ, it can be restored, where we are reconciled fully with our Creator. But then, the social dimension of the gospel frees us to be who we are with other people\u2014my identity is now in Jesus Christ\u2014and that frees me; I don't have to hide; He's accepted me. And now, you're another human being\u2014\"I'm right with God,\u201d\u2014and so now, it frees us to be more vulnerable; and I would say then, less lonely; because we are not hiding ourselves anymore.\r\n\r\nAnn: Let me ask you: I'm thinking of you, as a single pastor, living alone. You probably went through times of loneliness\/times of\u2014\r\n\r\nDave:That would be my question:\u2014\r\n\r\nAnn: \u2014aloneness.\r\n\r\nDave:\u2014\u201cEarlier you said, \u2018You can be alone, but not lonely.\u2019\u201d You were alone\u2014for what?\u2014four decades. You got married\u2014what?\u201441?\r\n\r\nSteve:Forty-four.\r\n\r\nDave: Forty-four; so yeah.\r\n\r\nAnn: But I'm guessing you slipped in and out of that feeling alone\u2014 \r\n\r\nDave: That's the question: \u201cDid you?\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: \u2014and loneliness.\r\n\r\nSteve:Absolutely. I think most people would describe loneliness as episodic; it's not always there. And I would maintain: it's never fully gone. The goal of my ministry in this, with loneliness, is to move it from the foreground of people's emotional experience to the background. Until the new creation, we are going to have a sense that something is missing. C.S. Lewis talks about this; he says, \u201cEven the best marriage, the healthiest moment in marriage, there's always a sense that something isn't quite yet perfect.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: I like that \u201cmoving it from the foreground\u201d\u2014it's at the forefront of our minds: \u201cI'm so lonely,\u201d\u2014 it's not out of the picture; but now, it's in the background. I think that's good to understand that we might always have a sense of it; but to not let it rule, at the forefront of our emotions. \r\n\r\nBecause in marriage\u2014you know this; you're married now; you have kids\u2014we will talk about this tomorrow. But in marriage, I have felt some of my loneliest times. So just to think that a spouse comes in and covers all of that\u2014\r\n\r\nDave:Oh, we got to save that for tomorrow.\r\n\r\nAnn: I know; we will.\r\n\r\nDave:I want to ask you this: \u201cWere you able to do that, as a single man? Take it from the front to the back? Was it something that you processed through and worked through before you got married?\u201d\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, there's a saying that says\/describes things as: \u201cnot problems to be solved, but tensions to be managed.\u201d I think loneliness falls into that category; it never fully leaves. And in my experience\u2014I think probably singles, who are listening, could relate to this\u2014especially, moments that I expected would be filled with family relationships, like holidays or even my birthday: those would be the times where I would feel my aloneness and loneliness the most. Those are very difficult\u2014very difficult times for people\u2014single people, in particular. \r\n\r\nBut it would come and go, honestly. Again, we have to be realistic about life in a fallen, broken world, where the final flourishing and fullness is yet to come. Loneliness is part of this fallen world. Someday, we won't feel lonely ever again; but here and now, it's going to be a part of the human experience.\r\n\r\nAnn: What is God's purpose in it?\r\n\r\nSteve:Well, now, that\u2019s\u2014now, you're hitting the sweet spot\u2014okay? \r\n\r\nDave: Talk about deep. \r\n\r\nSteve: Well, now, you're on where my heart truly goes with loneliness. I think we need to invert our whole perspective on loneliness. Most people view it as bad; it's something that\u2014\r\n\r\nAnn: \u2014you run from it.\r\n\r\nSteve: \u2014something's wrong.\r\n\r\nSteve:No, no; when we feel lonely, we are feeling exactly what we are supposed to feel. I compare it\u2014\r\n\r\nAnn: People are like, \u201cWait! What?!\u201d\r\n\r\nSteve:Yes, loneliness is a gift. It is a part of God's common grace to humanity, to push us into the relationships that He made us to flourish in. I compare loneliness to hunger or thirst, which none of us want to feel hungry; none of us want to feel thirsty. We don't resent hunger; we actually are like, \u201cHey, it's a good thing that I feel hungry. I'm sick if I don't.\u201d It causes us to move and to do things that our body needs: we eat; we drink.\r\n\r\nLoneliness is like a relational hunger. It's an indicator; it's a little like the dashboard warning light. It's indicating: \u201cWarning! Warning! Something that you are made to enjoy and flourish in is absent, and you need to do something about it.\u201d If we can view loneliness as part of the inner architecture that God put in us\u2014when He made us in His image\u2014now, we don't resent it; now, we don't hate it. Now, we have an opportunity to redeem it. Redeeming it, biblically and through the gospel, puts us in a place where we can enjoy the flourishing that God intended. But this comes through vertically being right with God, through Jesus, and enjoying horizontal relationships of vulnerability\u2014nakedness, if you will\u2014that comes by seeing my identity in Christ and freeing me to be who I am with other people.\r\n\r\nDave:I mean, if a listener is, right now, identifying: \u201cWow, the light is flashing pretty strongly on my loneliness feeling,\u201d I think you answered it; but what would you tell them to do?\r\n\r\nAnn: Yeah; get real practical as we end today.\r\n\r\nDave:They\u2019re like: \u201cThat\u2019s where I am: I'm starving. I'm not just hungry; I'm starving.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: \u201cAnd I don\u2019t know how to fill up. I don't know how to do it.\u201d\r\n\r\nDave: Yes.\r\n\r\nSteve:There are reactions that people have that are unhelpful. I\u2019ll just quickly share\u2014one of the things that people do is they will seek a distraction from that\u2014they will watch Netflix things every night; they do things to try to take their mind off of it.\r\n\r\nAnn: We numb out.\r\n\r\nSteve:We try to numb it. Or we obsess over it\u2014and that relationship in the family\u2014\"I'm so mad about it. I'm never talking to that person again.\u201d So much passive\/aggressive behavior is really the result of people trying to deal with the sense of emptiness. All of those we need to avoid\u2014don't obsess over it; don't distract it\u2014rather, we seek to redeem it. \r\n\r\nThis redemption comes by understanding why I feel this way; and then, taking biblical steps to deal with it, which I would in a quick summary way be:\r\n\r\nLoneliness provides energy. There's a longing; this is a gift. Take that energy\/that desire, and move in positive ways\u2014not in the negative ones\u2014but in the positive ways. Move towards people, not away from people. I would argue that a biblical church is a great context for those kinds of healthy relationships to be experienced, only if we enter into them, understanding that it's the love of God through us that mitigates the loneliness in us. If I go to church, or wherever, and think, \u201cI'm going to meet somebody that's going to take care of this loneliness,\u201d I'll be lonely the rest of my life.\r\n\r\nWe have to give our loneliness away\u2014this is Jesus: \u201cTake up your cross; follow Me,\u201d\u2014this is the: \u201cDie to yourself.\u201d As we seek to meet the lonely needs of other people, mysteriously, the loneliness in our heart moves from the foreground to the background\u2014\"It's more blessed to give than to receive\u201d; this is: \u201cDo to others as you would have them do unto you,\u201d\u2014and this is hard, because we want to receive love. But it is the giving love to other people that mitigates the loneliness in our heart. That would be my urging: \u201cGive your loneliness away. Take that energy, and seek to meet the needs of other people, and then it sort of disappears.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnn: Oh, that's so good. I feel like that was super practical. And it's the opposite of what you want to do, honestly.\r\n\r\nDave: Yeah; \u201cIf you want to find your life, lose it in serving others and serving Jesus.\u201d\r\n\r\nShelby: Isn't that just the way God works in and through us? It's the upside-down principles of the kingdom: \u201cIf you want to experience life, give your life away; and in giving it away, then you'll truly find it,\u201d\u2014crazy, huh?\u2014but I love that though; it's such an amazing perspective. \r\n\r\nI'm Shelby Abbott; and you've been listening to Dave and Ann Wilson, with Steve DeWitt, on FamilyLife Today. Steve has written a book called Loneliness: Don't Hate It or Waste It. Redeem It. This book can really resonate with anyone who's wrestling with feelings of loneliness, whether you're single, or married, or in leadership. You can get your copy, right now, by going online to FamilyLifeToday.com, where you'll find a link in the show notes. Again, FamilyLifeToday.com; or feel free to give us a call at 800-358-6329 to request your copy. Again, the number is 800-F as in family, L as in life, and then the word, TODAY. \r\n\r\nObviously, you hear us talk often about marriages and how that foundation can affect everything else in your life. One thing we think we would all agree on is that great marriages don't just happen; they're built with intentionality. And so we're either drifting in marriage or intentionally moving toward each other and, together, toward God. We think it's really important that you work on your marriage. And one of the ways we want to help you do that is by inviting you to a Weekend to Remember\u00ae marriage getaway. \r\n\r\nAnd the cool thing is, between today and December 2\u2014that's Cyber Monday\u2014all Weekend to Remember gift cards are 50 percent off; that's right. You and your spouse can go and, basically, only pay for one of you. All our Weekend to Remember gift cards are 50 percent off through December 2. And our devotionals, as an additional bonus, are 20 percent off, now through Cyber Monday, as well. Head over to FamilyLifeToday.com, and click on the Black Friday banner, in order to access \r\n\r\n50 percent off on Weekend to Remember gift cards; and 20 percent off on our devotionals. Again, that\u2019s FamilyLifeToday.com. \r\n\r\nNow, tomorrow, \u201cWhat are the complexities of loneliness when it comes to marriage and singleness?\u201d Well, Steve DeWitt is going to be back tomorrow, with the Wilsons, along with his wife, Jennifer, to talk about how to redeem loneliness, regardless of your stage of life. That's tomorrow; we hope you'll join us. On behalf of Dave and Ann Wilson, I'm Shelby Abbott. We'll see you back next time for another edition of FamilyLife Today.\r\n\r\nFamilyLife Today is a donor-supported production of FamilyLife\u00ae, a Cru\u00ae Ministry. \r\n\r\nHelping you pursue the relationships that matter most.\r\n\r\nIf you\u2019ve benefited from the FamilyLife Today transcripts, would you consider donating today to help defray the costs of producing them and making them available online?  \r\n\r\nCopyright \u00a9 2024 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\r\n\r\nwww.FamilyLife.com                                 \r\n\r\n\n","theme_header_position":"Sticky","post_header_is_sticky":"default","is_header_overlay":"0"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/310317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47000"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310317"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310317"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=310317"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=310317"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=310317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}