--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We say we long for intimacy with God and…" description: "\"“We say we long for intimacy with God and others, and yet we structure our lives so that this becomes impossible. One might think we are avoiding intim..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/mark-galli-21107_communion-with-god_we-say-we-long-for-intimacy-with-god-and_2293231.jpg" --- # We say we long for intimacy with God and others, and yet… ![“We say we long for intimacy with God and others, and yet we structure our lives so that this becomes impossible. One might think we are avoiding intimacy, that maybe we really like our finely managed lives just the way they are.” quote by Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/mark-galli-21107_communion-with-god_we-say-we-long-for-intimacy-with-god-and_2293231.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/mark-galli-21107_communion-with-god_we-say-we-long-for-intimacy-with-god-and_2293231.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/mark-galli-21107_communion-with-god_we-say-we-long-for-intimacy-with-god-and_2293231.jpg) > ““We say we long for intimacy with God and others, and yet we structure our lives so that this becomes impossible. One might think we are avoiding intimacy, that maybe we really like our finely managed lives just the way they are.”” [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We desire closeness with the divine and others but design busy lives that block it, reflecting a paradox of longing and avoidance. **In simple terms:** We want intimacy but our routines prevent it. Key Takeaway Reevaluate habits to allow deeper connections. Themes intimacy spirituality modern life avoidance Mood reflective hopeful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - marriage counseling - small group fellowship - personal retreats - digital detox Key Concepts paradox self‑sabotage prioritization Questions to Reflect On - What habits keep you from true intimacy? - How can you create space for deeper relationships? A Different Perspective Even intentional changes may feel uncomfortable or socially costly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Avoiding Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoiding-intimacy-2709550/) [Communion with god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communion-with-god/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy/) [Intimacy God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy-god-364724/) [Intimacy Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy-maybe-5397269/) [Intimacy with god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy-with-god/) [Long Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-intimacy-5397270/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) ## Related quotes > [In other words, first we must call people to communion with God, to intimacy with God, to a sense of belonging. Most people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/in-other-words-first-we-must-call-people-to-communion-with-god-to/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Long-distance relationships are another way of avoiding intimacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/long-distance-relationships-are-another-way-of-avoiding-intimacy/) [Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/) > [“A deeper intimacy with God sharpens our awareness of sin, which causes a stronger need for grace and a freer offering of mercy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisa-hope-wagner/a-deeper-intimacy-with-god-sharpens-our-awareness-of-sin-which-causes/) [alisa hope wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisa-hope-wagner/) > [Meditation is like giving a hug to our ourselves, getting in touch whith that awesome reality in us. While meditating we feel a deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/meditation-is-like-giving-a-hug-to-our-ourselves-getting-in-touch/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Perhaps you have been ensnared by a sinful habit that you will not abandon, and your guilt is so overwhelming you are ashamed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stanley/perhaps-you-have-been-ensnared-by-a-sinful-habit-that-you-will-not/) [Charles Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stanley/) > [“Linda Boone; Intimate Life Lessons: developing the intimacy with God you already have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-boone/linda-boone-intimate-life-lessons-developing-the-intimacy-with-god/) [Linda Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-boone/) > [A life of intimacy with God is characterized by joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/a-life-of-intimacy-with-god-is-characterized-by-joy/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Look at your ministry as a marathon not a sprint - build deep foundations of intimacy with God and never let your public schedule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicky-beeching/look-at-your-ministry-as-a-marathon-not-a-sprint-build-deep/) [Vicky Beeching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicky-beeching/) > [Intimacy with God is to be preferred above material wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-anders/intimacy-with-god-is-to-be-preferred-above-material-wealth/) [Max Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-anders/) > [“Another way of remaining in intimacy with God is by remaining in His presence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/another-way-of-remaining-in-intimacy-with-god-is-by-remaining-in-his/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [“Intimacy with God resolves in reproduction; when you are intimate with God, visions are birthed, dreams are born, revelations are given, prayers are answered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anikor-daniel/intimacy-with-god-resolves-in-reproduction-when-you-are-intimate-with/) [ANIKOR Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anikor-daniel/) > [ Praise becomes compulsory when we experience true intimacy \[with God\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/praise-becomes-compulsory-when-we-experience-true-intimacy-with-god/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [True intimacy with God always brings humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/true-intimacy-with-god-always-brings-humility/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [One of the side effects of losing intimacy with God is that at some point we stop doing ministry out of imagination and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/one-of-the-side-effects-of-losing-intimacy-with-god-is-that-at-some/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [Intimacy with God is that I can come in with the honesty of my heart, tell Him how much I'm hurting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/intimacy-with-god-is-that-i-can-come-in-with-the-honesty-of-my-heart/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) ## More by Mark Galli > [I sometimes wonder whether our churches--living as we do in American death-denying culture, relentlessly smiling through our praise choruses--are inadvertently helping people live not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/i-sometimes-wonder-whether-our-churches-living-as-we-do-in-american/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [“The wealthy, Jesus says, can only get into heaven through the eye of a needle; the same applies to churches wealthy in numbers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/the-wealthy-jesus-says-can-only-get-into-heaven-through-the-eye-of-a/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [To paraphrase Paul, God often uses the cheesy to confound the sophisticated. He regularly honors those who are confused about his leading as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/to-paraphrase-paul-god-often-uses-the-cheesy-to-confound-the/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [ “\[denial\] is an attempt to bring order to our lives.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/denial-is-an-attempt-to-bring-order-to-our-lives/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [“What we feel and how we feel is far more important than what we think and how we think. Feeling is the stuff of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/what-we-feel-and-how-we-feel-is-far-more-important-than-what-we-think/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [The Christian life does not just evolve. It also requires specific decisions and public commitments to deepen our faith and obedience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/the-christian-life-does-not-just-evolve-it-also-requires-specific/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [“For his own unfathomable reasons, God chooses to disguise himself when he comes to this planet, and there have been few disguises better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/for-his-own-unfathomable-reasons-god-chooses-to-disguise-himself-when/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom," says Paul. And we are most in line with the Spirit, most faithfully obedient,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/where-the-spirit-of-the-lord-is-there-is-freedom-says-paul-and-we-are/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [I like a tranquil, even-keeled, self-controlled God. A God who doesn't fly off the handle at the least provocation. A God who lives one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/i-like-a-tranquil-even-keeled-self-controlled-god-a-god-who-doesn-t/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [God's love for us is uncoerced and so freely given that it does not demand a response. But so freely is it given that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/god-s-love-for-us-is-uncoerced-and-so-freely-given-that-it-does-not/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [“In our desire to be real we start thinking that authenticity is another word for spontaneity, as if everything we say at the spur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/in-our-desire-to-be-real-we-start-thinking-that-authenticity-is/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [“By participating in the liturgy, we’re doing more than “attending a service.” We are entering a story—a story in which we also play a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/by-participating-in-the-liturgy-we-re-doing-more-than-attending-a/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [ As is typical of this God \[of Israel\], he calls his people into freedom in the most unlikely place. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/as-is-typical-of-this-god-of-israel-he-calls-his-people-into-freedom/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [ “If the church is the body of Christ \[who was disguised in servant form\], why would we think the world would be able to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/if-the-church-is-the-body-of-christ-who-was-disguised-in-servant-form/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [The Old Testament does, in fact, seem to make a distinction between the life of a child and the life of a fetus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/the-old-testament-does-in-fact-seem-to-make-a-distinction-between-the/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) [Explore all 29 Mark Galli quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) ## More Communion with god quotes > [Father, write Your Word in our heart; make us men and women who understand Your truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-begg/father-write-your-word-in-our-heart-make-us-men-and-women-who/) [Alistair Begg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-begg/) > [To pray without expectation is to misunderstand the whole concept of prayer and relationship with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/to-pray-without-expectation-is-to-misunderstand-the-whole-concept-of/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [It is not he who knows most, nor he who hears most, nor yet he who talks most, but he who exercises grace most,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/it-is-not-he-who-knows-most-nor-he-who-hears-most-nor-yet-he-who/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [The Lord came to send fire upon the earth (cf. Lk. 12:49), and through participation in this fire He makes divine not just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-palamas/the-lord-came-to-send-fire-upon-the-earth-cf-lk-12-49-and-through/) [Gregory Palamas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-palamas/) > [It became easy for me to detach myself from the course of life, so that while my hands and mind were engaged in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-g-lake/it-became-easy-for-me-to-detach-myself-from-the-course-of-life-so/) [John G. Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-g-lake/) > [Real prayer is communion with God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/real-prayer-is-communion-with-god/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit yug which can be translated as “to harmonize”, “to bring together” or “to harness or yoke”. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-zach/the-word-yoga-comes-from-the-sanskrit-yug-which-can-be-translated-as/) [Jennie Zach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-zach/) > [ “Thomas Goodwin Jr. wrote of his godly father: In all the violence of \[his fever\], he discoursed with that strength of faith and assurance… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-goodwin/thomas-goodwin-jr-wrote-of-his-godly-father-in-all-the-violence-of/) [Thomas Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-goodwin/) > [In other words, first we must call people to communion with God, to intimacy with God, to a sense of belonging. Most people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/in-other-words-first-we-must-call-people-to-communion-with-god-to/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [“Do not expect trust to appear suddenly and in a state of completion. Trust grows gradually as we venture forth little by little, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-a-bakke/do-not-expect-trust-to-appear-suddenly-and-in-a-state-of-completion/) [Jeannette A. Bakke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-a-bakke/) > [If you prayed as much as you worry, you'd have nothing to worry about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/if-you-prayed-as-much-as-you-worry-you-d-have-nothing-to-worry-about/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [“Make sure that when you touch the other person, all your five senses are working, because sex has a life of its own. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-coehlo/make-sure-that-when-you-touch-the-other-person-all-your-five-senses/) [Paolo Coehlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-coehlo/) > [“Communion with God is the only thing to live for. You will have to come to that understanding eventually, often after much suffering. Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/communion-with-god-is-the-only-thing-to-live-for-you-will-have-to/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [There is no sweeter manner of living in the world than continuous communion with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brother-lawrence/there-is-no-sweeter-manner-of-living-in-the-world-than-continuous/) [Brother Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brother-lawrence/) > [The chief end of our life is to live in communion with God. To this end the Son of God became incarnate, in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophan-the-recluse/the-chief-end-of-our-life-is-to-live-in-communion-with-god-to-this/) [Theophan the Recluse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophan-the-recluse/) [Browse all 177 Communion with god quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communion-with-god/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We say we long for intimacy with God and others, and yet we structure our lives so that this becomes impossible. 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