When we forget about God, do things go bad?

Q. When we forget about God, do things go bad?

A. Yes, indeed they do.  But it’s important to understand what “go bad” actually means.  Interestingly, if someone forgets about God, meaning they turn from God, they may still have a so called “good life” as defined by the fallen and sinful world. Thus, an atheist may become very wealthy, be popular and be successful in a worldly way. But if they lack God, and gain the whole world, things in their life are still quite bad from the perspective of truth and regarding true happiness.

On the other hand, if your question simply means that you do not actively think about God for a moment or two, but still love Him and have faith, then that’s a different question.  God does not punish us just because we forget to think about Him all day every day.

Let’s look at that question with some analogies to better answer it:

If a fish were to forget to live in water, would things go bad for the fish?

If a person were to forget about eating, would that cause a problem?

If a car were to be without fuel, would that make the car stop?

If a plant were put in a closet without any light, would that do harm to the plant?

Of course, the answer to all these questions is “Yes.”  A fish is made for water, humans need food, a car needs fuel to operate and a plant needs light to survive.  So it is with us and God. We are made to live in the life of God. Therefore, if by “forgetting about God” we mean we separate ourselves from God, then this is bad and we cannot find true fulfillment in life.  If this continues unto death, then we lose God and life for eternity.

The bottom line is that without God we lose everything, including life itself.  And if God is not in our life, we lose that which is most central to who we are.  We lose ourselves and fall into a life of sin. So don’t forget about God!