I haven't wanted to. I don't feel close to God right now.
Many of us go through this, we tend to call it a slump. Slumps are common in any relationship, I remember hearing a counselor speak about how going through a slump in a relationship is actually healthy because it means you are expressing your emotions.
I don't know if that's true or not, but I have certainly gone through slumps not only in my relationship with God, but with others as well.
So what do you do when you're in a slump?
The Answer: Exactly what you were doing before you were in the slump.
I hear many talk about how they won't worship if they don't feel it, because they don't want to be "going through the motions". While I agree that it is not healthy to just play "through the motions" I think there is a fine line in what that means.
The biggest thing that I took away from the movie Fireproof is this simple quote:
"Love in it's truest sense, is continuing even when you don't 'feel' like it. To give without the hope of a reward or personal satisfaction."
To go through the motions means that you are performing actions for the wrong purpose. If I were to worship to fit in or to get the attention of a Christian girl, that would be going through the motions.
To worship even when you don't "feel it" is what worship truly means. The word worship means "to apply worth to". What part of that definition says we will be receiving anything?
This applies to any part of your relationship with God; reading your bible, praying, and fellowship. To continue to do these things even when you're in a slump, that is what it means to love God.
To be able to show love even when you can't feel it is love in itself.
Love is not just an emotion, but rather an action.
So when you hit a slump like I have, keep moving forward. Continue to do the things you were doing, because your feelings and emotions will come back in time, it's your actions that can define your relationship. Even when you don't feel like learning in a classroom, it's still possible to understand the lesson.
My Challenge to you this week:
Look at your life and realize when you are going through these slumps. What is something you can do to keep yourself going?
