Does Jesus Alone Really Fill That Empty Space? And: When God Acts Like An Atheist

Does Jesus Alone Really Fill That Empty Space? And: When God Acts Like An Atheist

I was wondering if anyone else reading this, who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior (became a Christian), ever experiences a feeling that something is missing in you or your life, or if you ever feel as though there’s a hole in your heart, or if you ever feel an emptiness?

I do at times, and I don’t understand why, since I grew up hearing that everyone has this hole in their heart, and only Jesus can fill it. And, further, if you believe in Jesus, Christians say, that emptiness will go away. What if it does not? Or, what if it returns?

I’ve done the whole Jesus thing. I was a devout Christian for years and years, but at times I still feel as though something is missing.

During all the time I was a devout Christian, I prayed, read my Bible, sought a relationship with God, but none of that really filled up the empty spot. It didn’t bring me inner peace or contentment, as Christians say it will.

I do know that having a lot of money, or being famous, or having a great big house or a great career, won’t fill that empty spot.

I’ve sat through countless testimonies on Christian TV, and I’ve read so many interviews with, or articles about, celebrities who say they assumed once they became rich and famous, they’d feel at peace or having meaning in life, but all the celebrities say that all the fame and money didn’t bring them peace, purpose, or happiness.

Putting the celebrities aside, I’ve heard a lot of average people on the Christian shows say they used to try to fill up the empty space they had by turning to sex, alcohol, money, a career, or by whatever else, but they never found happiness or peace until they became a Christian or re-dedicated their life to Christ.

(It depends on the testimony – some of the people I see in these stories were ALREADY Christians but had “drifted away” and then returned to the faith, while others were non-Christians to start with and later accepted Jesus).

I realize that fame, money, sex, and great career won’t make a person happy, or not indefinitely.

I guess I can see how, if you’ve spent decades turning to drugs or money or what have you for happiness, that it must come as a relief to have a “find Jesus” moment later in life, but I did the “find Jesus” thing in childhood already and was a sincere Christian for years.

I never abused drugs, slept around, or looked for my purpose or identity in a career or trying to find fame. But knowing Jesus and living for Jesus did not bring me lasting joy, meaning, or purpose. So I’m at a loss here.

I’m not seeing how having a relationship with God through Jesus has helped me out.

I still at times experience the emptiness that Christians say you’re not supposed to feel if you believe in Christ. Has anyone else out there been through this?

If you’re still a Christian, for example, do you still find yourself at times feeling empty, or as though you have a hole in your heart (the one that Christians say is God-shaped that only God can fill)?

(Or, if you’re not sure right now if you’re still a Christian or not, I’d still be interested in your answer, or, if you’re a non-Christian now but were at one time and grappled with this, I’d be interested in your response as well.)

I’ve discussed before on this blog how my prayers have been left unanswered. That’s tied in to this, too.

I tire of Christians who blame people like me for this. They say if God feels far from you, he is not – you’re the one who has moved, not God, they say. I’m sorry, but no, that’s not true. No matter how long or often I pray, God does not respond.

God is acting like an atheist. God is the one acting like God does not exist.

Even during those times, I’ve tried prayer and reaching out and still hear nothing back. No matter how much I’ve prayed, I don’t get answers from God, and I don’t sense his presence, either.

I had a death in the family a few years ago that I’ve been working my way through (it was very painful), and even during, and after, that death, I have not felt God in my life.

Christians say God may not remove your painful situation in life, but he’ll walk you through it and let you know he’s there, but I’ve not felt him there.

I just wonder sometimes if I’m the only one who experiences any of these sorts of things. I am all the time seeing Christians talk about how if you follow Jesus, yes, you’ll have trials in your life, but you’ll also feel God walking next to you through it, and you’ll have inner peace – but that has not been the case for me, not most of the time.

This Christian promise I hear about often, that if you have a relationship with God through Christ, will bring a person peace and purpose has not been completely true for me. I still at times have that hollow, empty feeling – the one that’s not supposed to be there since I “know God.” I wish Christians would stop over-promising things about God, but they keep doing so.

When you keep trying to hold on to faith but years pass and you never hear from God or don’t sense him in your life, it can get exhausting. It also makes the Christian faith look rather pointless.

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Related Posts:

(Link):  One Foot in Christianity, One Foot in Agnosticism  – In a Faith Crisis