The Emptiness You Can’t Explain

When you sin, what actually happens to you right now, in this moment, not in some future judgment but in your actual daily life?

Most of us think about consequences like punishment or maybe we lean on grace or expect some kind of divine discipline.

But I want to suggest something different. The real consequence of sin is separation from GOD.

And here’s the problem. If you’ve never been truly connected to GOD, how would you even recognize what it feels like to be separated from Him?

Let me take you to three o’clock in the afternoon on the darkest day in human history. “About three o’clock JESUS cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ This means, ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?’” (Matthew 27:46 NCV)

For the first time ever, since creation, JESUS was separated from GOD. He took on our sin, and in that moment, GOD turned His face away.

“Christ himself suffered for sins once. He was not guilty, but he suffered for those who are guilty to bring you to GOD.” (1 Peter 3:18 NCV)

Christ didn’t just die physically. He experienced the full weight of separation from GOD that our sin deserves.

Then, He went to the place of the dead, proclaimed victory over death itself, and rose again. He experienced hell in our place so we wouldn’t have to. JESUS took all of it.

He drank the cup of separation down to the very bottom so that you and I could have connection with GOD forever.

So what does separation actually look like in real life?

I know people who’ve given in to addiction. Alcohol, pornography, work, whatever their drug of choice is. Now they’re trapped. They’ve done things they regret, things they can’t undo, things that haunt them. They’re depressed. Lonely. Maybe they have people around them, but they feel completely isolated. They’re breathing, but they’re not really living. Just existing.

Then there are the successful ones. Got money. Got comfort. Got it all figured out, or so they think. They don’t believe they need GOD, or maybe they’ve convinced themselves that everyone ends up in a good place anyway. From the outside, they look fine. Maybe even great. But underneath it all, there’s something missing.

An emptiness they can’t quite name.

And then there are folks like me on certain days. Believers who’ve gotten lazy about sin. We tolerate compromise. We let little things slide. We coast. We drift. And we don’t realize that distance is growing between us and GOD.

This emptiness feels like restlessness that won’t go away. You’re always chasing the next thing. The next relationship, purchase, experience, high. But nothing satisfies.

There’s no peace. Just this constant gnawing sense that something’s not right.

Isaiah describes sin: “Evil people are like the angry sea, which cannot rest, whose waves toss up waste and mud. ‘There is no peace for evil people,’ says my GOD.” (Isaiah 57:20-21 NCV)

It feels like you’re living for things that don’t matter. You wake up, go through the motions, chase success or comfort or pleasure, and somewhere deep down you know this isn’t what life is supposed to be about.

You fill your life with distractions, entertainment, busyness, anything to keep from asking: What’s the point of all this?

Christ said: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36 NCV)

It feels like guilt you can’t shake and shame you can’t escape.

Without GOD, without forgiveness, without the cross of JESUS, there’s nowhere for guilt to go. It just sits there.

Day after day. Year after year. You try to medicate it, ignore it, rationalize it away, but it never goes away. It’s always there, whispering: You’re not good enough. You’ve done too much. You’re beyond help.

It feels like loneliness even in a crowd. You can have people all around you and still feel totally alone. Because the deepest connection we’re wired for isn’t with other people, it’s with GOD.

King David wrote: “As a deer thirsts for streams of water, so I thirst for you, GOD.” (Psalm 42:1 NCV)

We were made for connection with GOD. When we’re separated from Him, we’re trying to live as something we were never designed to be. And it feels like death creeping in while you’re still alive.

Paul puts it bluntly: “When people’s thinking becomes dark, they are separated from the life GOD gives because they are ignorant and stubborn.” (Ephesians 4:18 NCV)

GOD is the source of life. Real life, abundant life, life with meaning and purpose and joy. When you’re separated from Him, you’re not fully alive. You’re existing, but not living.

You’re either plugged in or you’re not.

Now let me show you the contrast. What does it feel like to be connected to GOD?

It feels like peace that doesn’t make sense. You’re in the middle of a storm, and somehow, deep down, you’re okay. Not because everything’s fine, but because you’re anchored to something that can’t be shaken.

“GOD’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ JESUS.” (Philippians 4:7 NCV)

It feels like purpose that gives your life weight. You’re not just drifting. Even the mundane stuff, work, family, daily responsibilities, it all has meaning because it’s connected to something bigger than yourself.

It feels like forgiveness that sets you free. Instead of being crushed by guilt, you’re forgiven. The slate’s clean.

“If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust GOD to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done.” (1 John 1:9 NCV)

It feels like you’re never alone. Even in your darkest moments, even when you’ve messed up so badly you think no one could love you, GOD’s there.

“GOD has said, ‘I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.’” (Hebrews 13:5 NCV)

And it feels like life. Real, abundant, overflowing life. JESUS said: “I came to give life, life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10 NCV)

So why did JESUS go through this separation? Why did He die on the cross, experience hell, feeling the full weight of every sin, every shame, every guilt, every darkness?

So He could proclaim victory over it all. This is why He rose again, conquering death, conquering hell, conquering separation forever. He did that for you and me. So we wouldn’t have to.

But here’s the hard truth. You have to choose it. You have to come to Him. You have to confess your sin, turn from it, and surrender your life to Him.

Stop and name what’s separating you from GOD. Say it out loud. Addiction, pride, laziness, bitterness, whatever it is.

Then ask JESUS to forgive you and cleanse you. Not as a religious formula, but as a real conversation. Tell Him you’re done with the thing that’s stealing your life.

Take one concrete step away from that sin today. Delete the app. Make the phone call. Set the boundary. Walk away from the situation. Then replace the emptiness with connection.

Open your Bible. Pray. Worship. Join a community of believers who will help you stay connected.

Remember this: The Christian life isn’t about never sinning again. It’s about staying connected to the One who already paid for your sin. When you mess up, and you will, don’t run from GOD. Run to Him.

That’s what the cross made possible. That’s what JESUS died for.

GOD, I confess I’ve been living separated from You. I’ve been chasing things that don’t satisfy and carrying guilt I was never meant to carry. Thank You for sending Christ to experience separation so I wouldn’t have to. Thank You that the cross made connection possible. Help me take that one step today away from what’s stealing my life and toward a more full life that You promise and guaranteed. IJNIP amen ♥️