Feeling Distant from God
I never really understood second-hand vs first-hand sources in school. I thought second-hand sources and first-hand sources were the same thing! I remember one day in High School, after handing in an essay, the teacher took me out of the classroom and said, “You know you can’t just say something is a first-hand source, right?”.
I only understood the difference when it mattered in my own life. Reading the bible everyday, worshiping through music, and reading Christian books were things I did regularly. For some reason, although being consistent with these habits, I still felt distant from God. I was confused because I thought I was doing everything right?
Have you ever felt distant from God and not know why?
This all changed when I decided to talk to God about this problem. All of the sudden I realized that I was engaging in the source itself! New life came into me as inspiration filled my body, finally understanding that all of these second-hand sources did not matter if I did not go to the first-hand source. Second-hand sources can only be transformational if we are in a dialogue with the source itself.
I was using the bible, sermons, music, podcasts and books as an excuse to not be in relationship with God myself. We think that if we are physically around God that we are emotionally close to God. These second-hand sources can further inform our own unique prayer times, but it cannot take the place of prayer; use them, let’s just never prioritize them above prayer itself.
