I got stuck. Not in the frustratingly omnipresent but usually innocuous SoCal traffic, nor in job situations where we regularly have to deal with those less perfect than ourselves. Nothing so simple. I got stuck with God. Oh, I still believed and did what I should. Mostly, at least. And I saw him marvelously move in my life. But I lost the intimacy, the sense of close contact. It bothered me, especially that it went on for over a year.
So I rationally and spiritually tried to discover the causes. We’d recently moved, and needed remodel work sucked up any time left over from teaching English full time and grading essays. And although a certain ebb and flow to faith is typical, this went on too long. Some temptations, I allowed to linger too long, although I didn’t yield.
I was dry. Stuck. And I hated that I somehow couldn’t get past it.
Until last Friday, Good Friday. Appropriate, huh? At a church we’d been attending about three months, we encountered the most powerful Good Friday service ever. Less than a week has now passed, but even with getting the flu and having to use Turbo Tax during my Easter break, intimacy has returned.
I’ve lived long enough with God to recognize the difference between fresh and stale, and I’m feasting on bread right out of the oven. Best of all, the oven is still warm.
I suspect we all go through dry times, when we get stuck and can’t seem to move. Allow me to share 3 tips.
Hate it. Don’t accept it as normal. This is not what Paul wants us to be content about.
Do all you can. Exhaust yourself in trying all remedies. Closeness to God is worth it.
Look outside. Like happened with me on Good Friday. Honestly, I didn’t expect to leave different, but the service was a blast from God’s people to restore my closeness to him. Sometimes, we need to rely on others, the body of Christ, to do what we cannot.
Let’s talk about that, OK? Have you experienced getting stuck? Could you identify the causes? What has worked for you to get back in spiritual gear? What hasn’t worked?
Intimacy with God, knowing him personally, is the essence of following Jesus. Let’s work together to minimize the times we get stuck.