To wrestle with faith in God assumes a desire for God exists but remains, at least in some measure, unfulfilled. But what are we to do when we feel no desire—when we no longer wrestle because the fire in our soul for God has been extinguished?

During the month of February and the season of Lent, we will look at a common but rarely discussed reality of the Christian life. Many of us experience seasons— sometimes prolonged— of disinterest in God. As one young man recently shared with me, “I know I should desire God, but I don’t.” When we find ourselves in this place, we can carry a double portion of self-condemnation. First, we own the guilt of not engaging in the habits and practices we’ve been told are normative for Christians, and, second, we condemn ourselves for not feeling the guilt as deeply as we think we should. Such apathy can often occur after a season of aggressive spiritual activity or when surrounded by the trappings of a religious community. If we struggle with faith, we are told the solution is greater church involvement, or more Bible study, or a new-tous spiritual discipline. Like a person in quicksand, however, the more we pursue these activities, the more we fight our doubts, the faster we sink. The promises of spiritual transformation and profound communion with God made by our community go unfulfilled. So, we stop fighting; we stop trying. We may still be trapped in the sand, but at least we’re not sinking as fast.

If this describes your experience, do not lose heart and do not think you are alone. It is to people like you, those who are “poor in spirit,” that the kingdom of heaven belongs.