Sounds like a healthy parent-child relationship to me.  As you grow older, you still love your parents, but you no longer need them.

If your God exists, I find it hard to believe he would want you to spend your life (which he gave you in this dogma) worrying about him.  I'd think he'd WANT you to live life without fetters of any kind (namely any sort of deity-driven guilt which seems to be so common in Christians).  But you know me...I'm not a believer, so take what I say with a shaker full of salt

This is an interesting way of looking at it and putting it in perspective, thanks! [I never thought of it that way!]

We won't go into the "yes he does" or the "no he doesn't" true, we do get guilty concience don't we?!  Perhaps it keeps us honest?!  But, for me it is not so much guilt, as in realising, coming to realise that hey, you're not doing this anymore, why not? kind of thing and yes, admittedly some guilt, but coming to terms with myself ...so to speak!  

Heh..a shaker full of salt, worth it's seasoning! enough with the emoticons!

Ock:

The whole parent child thing breaks down with God, because the child grows up, but we never do, compared to God.  We'll always need him.  He made us that way, so that when we pulled away, we'd always need to come back. 

We're stuck in a dependent relationship?  That's usually classified as unhealthy.

~Zoo

That's because it is, if you're dependent on another person - that person will let you down, and really is just as bad off as you are.  God, however, will not let you down.  It's okay to be dependent on God - because we all are anyway, whether we admit it or not.

No, not if they are a really good friend, and yes, sometimes God does if it teaches you something!   I don't count on friends who won't are can't be there for me, and I don't always get what I want if I pray on it.  Most times I'm praying for others anyway.

It would be Shaun, most definitely!  I doubt that the good Lord would want us in an unhealthy relationship with him!

I agree with Jythier because what he says has biblical merit to it rather than just his opinion. 

FS I believe you're feeling unconnected because you have rolled away from the fire (spiritually speaking).  When that happens you become cold. 

Up until last year I've always heated my house with a woodstove.  When a log rolls away from the fire, it becomes unlit and soon turns cold.  I used to watch for this and every once in a while push a log back into the center of the fire.  It's the same with us when we try to do things on our own, not depending on God to help keep us lit.  He wants us to be in the center of his will and one of the ways is to bind his word on our hearts and minds. 

In fact today the Pastor at the church we visited spoke about this.  He read from Proverbs 7:1-3 which speaks about keeping God's words upon our heart.  The Hebrew means to guard it carefully.  We are to have daily contact with his word which is a light to our soul.  When we walk away from his words we walk back into darkness.  The light of his word dispels that darkness.

I think you already know this by your pouring over the scriptures in the past.  I would encourage you to once again do this. I believe the lack of connection you speak about will once more return and you will find yourself with more joy and peace about this than ever before. 

Nice metaphors, KFC.  That was a great way to demonstrate feeling connected and out of touch with a spiritual energy inside.  In my personal opinion, everyone needs to have that connection with their spiritual side (meaning religions other that Christianity as well).  If you're in need of that comfort level or seek more meaning out of your life and the lives of others then I feel there can be no more meaningful a substitute than religious enlightenment.

To let religious beliefs control you and your life can be classified as unhealthy if you're restricting yourself from seeking other opportunities or uses of your precious time here on Earth.  Then again, there are those that feel they have been put here to serve their Lord and do so devoutly.  Understanding and re-reading your scripture can help you through tough times and provide strength, but to have to constantly reunite with that written word every day might mean you need to do some deeper soul searching for some significance.  That written word can certainly help though, I am not denying anything in that regard.  I personally believe though that someone can find spiritual peace through first understanding themself and then knowing God.  I hear all the time that you first need to know God before you truly understand yourself, but I see that as putting a restriction on my own individuality and expression.

quote]FS I believe you're feeling unconnected because you have rolled away from the fire (spiritually speaking). When that happens you become cold. [/quote]

No, not unconnected (or disconnected), just distracted.  Life throws curveball sometimes that does pull you away and make you become self-centered on it rather than what is best, and what the lesson actually is.  Herein, or therein worrying the situation(s), sometimes even forgetting that God is there because one can become so engrossed in one's own pithy.

I don't know if you would understand, sometimes someone can see the way pretty clearly how their life should be or can be, but one gets distracted by little niggles that pluck away at your being, you know this, God knows this and it's up to the person to find that path to where they should be, whether it be directly through him or something else, no matter what or which way, you are where He wants you to be.  There's  a saying in my country and I've heard it here too, "God only gives you what you can handle", he knows when to pile it on to get your attention or to lift the burden to give you breathing space, wake you up, whatever it takes.

I agree.  What I can't or don't understand is why some faithful cannot see that there should be other things in their lives, because that is as it should be.  Not bad things, or what they consider bad, but those things that helps them to be the person that God wants them to be, as a humble servant, you have to learn to serve others.

Amen!

And Amen! That means I agree wholeheartedly!

well that's not what you said.  You said:

I don't see it that way because I see it as a spiritual battle.  I believe there is a war going on for our souls between good and evil.  I believe Satan throws obstacles in our pathway.  We have the option of turning away and going down a diff path or continuing going over the rocks he puts there and continuing on the path God has set in front of us. 

Most of the time it's much easier to allow these obstacles to move us in a diff direction.  It's much harder to work your way up and over the boulders in front of you. 

Everything you said in the above paragraph is a paraphrase of what Satan said to Eve in the garden.  He turned her eyes away from God and onto herself.  This is one of his favorite tricks because it works so well. 

I can understand this and have been there and that's why I felt compelled to write you to warn you not to fall for the evil one's schemes.   If I'm not careful I could be exactly where you are now.  I'm not immune to this. 

Your saying here is a biblical one.  You'll find it in scripture.  I agree with it wholeheartedly. 

In my life, it is when I don't wonder that I have strayed the furthest.  The fact you are asking yourself the question in the first place means you have a good relationship with God. 

True, true!  But did you know that sometimes these obstacles are not the work of the devil but of God himself?  Not for trickery but to wake us up and get our attention to things that are sometimes so obvious but we don't see.  We sometimes sleepwalk through our lives.

I guess I wasn't clear in explaining myself, I'm not having a spiritual battle, not in the sense that you think KFC, rather...it is hard to explain any clearer than I have above...not to be rude, but I get tied up in what I say and it doesn't come out as clearly as it should. But thank you for the warning.

This touched my heart, thanks Ted!

I think the ebb and flow you descibe is true with all relationships, including one with God.  After going through hard times, we tend to shut down a bit, to regroup, rehabilitate, even re-evaluate.  What long term relationship is exempt from this dynamic.  Since God made us, He is mindful of the "dust" we are made of-----perhaps this means He is aware of our fragile nature and is therefore compassionately understanding.  I personally take great solace in this.