“I used to have a strong faith, but now I’ve drifted.”
I hear this all the time, and I’ve said it myself. Maybe you’ve said it recently, too.
So many of us have had a season or seasons where our faith was so strong. A fire was lit in our soul and our hearts were changed.
You might be familiar with the feeling. It’s where you feel more alive than ever. You knew there is a purpose for your life, and you could feel God’s presence so near.
Honestly, I don’t think there is a better feeling in the world than that.
But as far as I know, most people, if not everyone, experiences the feeling of “drifting” in their faith at some point.
We enter into a very different season where it feels so hard to connect with God. Like we just aren’t on the same wavelength as Him.
Praying becomes difficult because it feels like we are talking to the walls.
We don’t have the desire to get into the Word because we start to question what it says.
Worshipping feels inauthentic because we can’t feel the One we are singing out too.
The fire is our soul feels as though it has dimmed.
Drifting can feel incredibly lonely, and make us question everything. It can be scary and confusing.
To the person who isn’t feeling connected, I want to try to encourage you.
One. Regardless of how distant you feel from Jesus, His love for you remains the same. He still loves you in the out-of-this-world, relentless way that He did even when you felt incredibly strong in your faith. His love hasn’t changed a bit.
Two. Sometimes we have to remove some barriers that are getting in the way of us feeling connected to Him. Maybe that’s letting go of toxic people in our life. Or idols, like work, money, or relationships. Maybe it’s a sinful behavior we keep falling into. Sometimes it’s the things around us that are blocking our connection. If this is the case, I bet you already know what might be blocking you.
Three. He took your drifting into the equation when planning your life. He knew you would be struggling right now. You haven’t messed up your relationship with Him. You haven’t surprised Him. You haven’t destroyed His plan for you. He continues to pursue you.
Four. We can actually pray and ask God to give us faith. I know that seems weird, but it’s true. He gives us faith, and we are free to ask Him for it.
That fire in your heart can be lit again. No matter what is happening in your life.
I’ve found that when I feel disconnected, sometimes I have to go out of my way to remove the worldly crap that is holding me down and go find Jesus.
It’s not like He is far. He is so, so near.
He didn’t move an inch away.
We did.
And we can always come back.
Go back. Go sit in quiet with Him. Go worship anyway. Heck, go yell to Him. Be honest with Him about how you feel and what’s getting in the way. He can absolutely handle it.
He loves you and He wants you, as is, today.
Drifting happens. Thankfully we have a God who always welcomes us back, and can reignite that fire.
You never know, you might just be one step away from entering into a season of faith stronger than ever before.
~Kelli Bachara, The Unraveling Blog
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