<\/p>\n
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Apathy is defined as \u201ca lack of feeling or emotion.\u201d It\u2019s a \u201clack of interest or concern,\u201d and originates from the Greek siblings, antipathy, sympathy, and empathy. Also called numbness or emptiness, it goes deeper than indifference.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although I used to be an English teacher, I\u2019m not here to give you a language lesson. But I am here to help you understand how and why apathy might be creeping up in your life. And not just your day-to-day life, but your spiritual life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When faith feels flat and quiet, we find ourselves praying without emotion. We worship, but feel empty. Perhaps even Scripture doesn\u2019t hit us like it used to. All of us, even if we don\u2019t like to admit it, experience these times of numbness. But numbness doesn\u2019t equal faithlessness. It doesn\u2019t mean that God has left us, even if it feels that way. No, numbness is often a signal, not a failure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re feeling spiritually numb today, you\u2019re in good company. Here are 3 steps for finding God amidst these feelings:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment we stop \u201cfeeling\u201d God, we think we\u2019ve failed Him. But numbness is often self-protection, exhaustion, or grief, not sin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We\u2019re even quick to make assumptions about ourselves:<\/p>\n
Instead of accepting these assumptions, we need to challenge and reframe them. Remember: emotional numbness is often a nervous system response. Our mental health and spiritual life are connected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Psalm 13, David, a man after God\u2019s own heart, even felt this way:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?\u201d (Psalm 13:1-2, NIV).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Psalm 77, a Psalm of Asaph, a worship leader, pens similar words: \u201cI cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted\u201d (Psalm 77:1-2, NIV).\u00a0<\/p>\n
But even amidst these feelings of despair, Romans 8:38-39 reminds us: \u201cFor I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord\u201d (NIV). Feelings don\u2019t equate faithfulness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead of ridiculing yourself or asking, \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with me?\u201d, try gently asking, \u201cWhat might I be carrying?\u201d Bring these requests to the Lord in a prayer, and ask Him to help you see this situation clearly. Remember: Feelings aren\u2019t the enemy, but they can be powerful indicators of what\u2019s happening in our lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, in the world in which we live, God\u2019s presence is often measured by emotion (though it shouldn\u2019t be). Modern Christianity has gotten really\u00a0<\/em>good at overvaluing feelings. But Job, Elijah, and Jesus teach us that feelings don\u2019t equate God\u2019s presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n Job lost everything, but God was still with Him. Elijah felt alone and wanted to die, but God was still with Him. Jesus cried tears of anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, but God allowed His crucifixion to happen because He knew what was on the other side. It\u2019s tempting to equate God\u2019s presence with feeling. Holy Spirit goosebumps and shouts, to name a few. But faith can be quiet and real at the same time. Not everyone has to, or even wants to, be an extroverted Christian, and that\u2019s okay. Author Natalie Hilton describes it this way:<\/p>\n \u201cOur faith in God should be bold, but that doesn’t necessarily mean loud. Quiet moments of faith are just as important as the seen ones.\u201d<\/p>\n This week, instead of judging yourself based on what you feel, try a low-pressure practice:<\/p>\n As much as we try to hinge our relationship with God on feelings, we must remember that depth often returns through honesty, not intensity. God doesn\u2019t want you to pretend to be something you\u2019re not, and He doesn\u2019t expect you to act or feel a certain way when you come to Him.\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead of attempting a spiritual overhaul, putting yourself down, or maintaining guilt-driven routines, try short prayers, naming your emotions, breathing, walking, and grounding yourself. Don\u2019t run from God; tell Him exactly how you feel.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Psalm 62:1, we read these beautiful words of David: \u201cTruly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him\u201d (NIV). I love this Scripture because it reminds me that regardless of what I\u2019m feeling, God and His salvation cannot be taken away from me. Matthew 11:28-30 says it this way: \u201cCome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light\u201d (NIV).\u00a0<\/p>\n Friends, God desires for you to come to Him as you are, even if you\u2019re numb and feeling spiritually apathetic. You don\u2019t have to be ashamed, and He\u2019s not ashamed of you. But he does ask you to tell Him exactly how you\u2019re feeling. To invite Him into that space. To open your heart and mind honestly to how His presence might present Himself, even when feelings are lacking.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to muster all the right words or phrases. You don\u2019t need to feel a certain way. You need to come to Him. If this is difficult, try praying a simple prayer: \u201cGod, I don\u2019t feel much, but I\u2019m here.\u201d And regardless of what you\u2019re feeling, He\u2019s there, and that\u2019s enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n No matter what you\u2019re feeling today, I want to reassure you that God is not waiting for your feelings to return. Numb seasons don\u2019t cancel faith. But they can lead us into a deeper relationship with Him if we run to Him amidst those feelings.\u00a0<\/p>\n The dictionary definition of the word apathy might not change anytime soon, but God can transform our weak and weary hearts when we run to Him. You don\u2019t need to be fearful, ashamed, or hard on yourself, sweet friend. God loves you, and He is with you even when you\u2019re void of feeling. Seek His face today.<\/p>\n Photo credit: \u00a9GettyImages\/Akarawut Lohacharoenvanich<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Amber Ginter<\/strong> is a teacher-turned-author who loves Jesus, her husband Ben, and granola. Growing up Amber looked for faith and mental health resources and found none. Today, she offers hope for young Christians struggling with mental illness that goes beyond simply reading your Bible and praying more. Because you can love Jesus and still suffer from anxiety. You can download her top faith and mental health resources for\u00a0free to help navigate books, podcasts, videos, and influencers from a faith lens perspective. Visit her website at\u00a0amberginter.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Apathy is defined as \u201ca lack of feeling or emotion.\u201d It\u2019s a \u201clack of interest or concern,\u201d and originates from the Greek siblings, antipathy, sympathy, and empathy. Also called numbness or emptiness, it goes deeper than indifference.\u00a0 Although I used to be an English teacher, I\u2019m not here to give<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[864,256,182],"class_list":{"0":"post-20874","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-christian-living","8":"tag-feel","9":"tag-finding","10":"tag-god"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20874\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
3. Reconnect Through Honest, Simple Practices<\/h2>\n
Numb Doesn\u2019t Mean Absent<\/h2>\n