Recluse, I heard a sermon on the topic of "If God seems far away; who moved?" I can't even remember which preacher it was that I was listening to, but in his opinion, people do move away from God. They do this by partial or total rejection of Him or by continually grieving the Holy Spirit. In this case, it is the person who moved away or walked away from Him. Certainly, God continues to love His children, but in this minister's opinion, and I believe the same way, is that God is not evident in these people's lives. I'm sure that God loves those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit, but again, He isn't evident in their lives, if for no other reason than that person's lifestyle.

I don't want to belabor the point. Just felt that I had to be clear on it.

I would like to see this thread get back to "loving ourselves as we love our neighbor." If anyone has anything to contribute on that subject, PLEASE feel free to post.