Alone in a Distant Country

The prodigal​—after he used up all his money—​found anything but freedom and fun. He gravitated in conduct to the point of “living a debauched life.”

Luke 15:13-16.

John had been a congregation elder before his trip to a spiritually “distant country.” “Following the truth is definitely a safeguard, but when you are not active, you let your guard down,” explains John. “Even though you might not do anything really bad, little things begin to be tolerated. You say to yourself, ‘Well, I’m not attending any congregational meetings, so does it really make a difference what I do?’” Another Witness who was inactive for several years admitted: “I really did get involved in bad conduct. I found out very quickly that there is no limit to how low a person can sink by associating with persons of the world. The only way to enjoy their association is to keep your mouth shut about Jehovah. When you do, you are headed for a lot of trouble.”

Yet many who become inactive do not drift back into a “debauched life” as did the prodigal of Jesus’ parable. Still all become aware of the separation from a close relationship with God. One inactive couple “never picked up a Bible for 15 years,” and yet remained morally chaste. The wife explains: “Materially speaking, things were extremely good for us during those years. You can be led to believe that there is no need to come back to Jehovah. We built our entire lives around our jobs and ourselves. We tried to block off all memories of the truth to the point of moving to an area where no one knew us. But all this happiness was candy coated. Inside we were torn apart. My husband was deeply depressed for years. We stopped praying, even before meals. I couldn’t sleep many nights worrying about the truth and feeling guilty.” The husband added: “We felt that we were on death row.”

To be estranged from Jehovah, to feel all alone spiritually, is a painful situation. One Christian woman who once was inactive said: “There is nothing like having Jehovah’s favor. When you feel bad and you can’t pray to him, or you have doubts that he is going to answer your prayers, it is a terrible condition.”