Divorce has taken its toll on your family. You wonder what you did. Christmas is a time for families. Every time you turn on your TV, you see stories about families at Christmas. Loneliness sets in when we realize our families will never match that ideal.
Bitterness often follows loneliness.
We don't know anything else of this believer. They were going on with their ministries. God had directed them on to further fields. Though they didn't desert the Apostle, their absence further enhanced his feelings of loneliness. Loved ones sometimes leave us behind.