When Our Longings Are Trying to Tell Us Something

There are moments when we feel a pull inside us, an ache for something more. Not necessarily more activity or more noise, but more meaning, more peace, more connection. These feelings can be hard to explain. Sometimes we dismiss them, distract ourselves, or try to fill them with busyness.

Yet those longings keep returning. They show up in subtle moments, in the pauses between responsibilities or adventures, or in the strong sense that something deeper is calling us.

Evelyn Underhill, a Christian writer and spiritual teacher, captured this beautifully when she wrote: "Our innate longings are not illusions, but the voice of God calling us."

What if the restlessness we feel is not a problem to fix, but an invitation to listen? What if the longing for peace, purpose, or closeness with God is actually guidance, pointing us toward the life we were created to live?

We often try to reason our way through these feelings. It's easy to analyze them, question them, or push them aside because they feel inconvenient or unclear. But longing is rarely logical. It is spiritual. It is relational. It is a soul whisper that asks us to slow down and pay attention.

I’ve always enjoyed pausing to record an insight or message that has come to me. Over time, these recorded pauses grew into my Spiritual Inspirations PDF—years of listening gathered in one place. Usually, these messages strike at inconvenient times—but be ready, and don’t lose them! They may strike just as you are falling asleep, or when you are mid-task and need to pull out your phone notes or voice recorder in order to remember to return to it later. These little acts of noticing and capturing allow us to honour the promptings we often otherwise overlook.

Longing can be the beginning of prayer. It can be the start of transformation. It can be the nudge that leads us back to stillness. When we allow ourselves to sit with those inner desires instead of running from them, something shifts. We begin to notice patterns, invitations, and moments of grace. We start to recognize that God is not distant, but already speaking through our hopes, our questions, and even our restlessness.
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So the next time you feel that inner pull, resist the urge to ignore it. Pause. Listen. Be curious about what your heart is trying to say. Because sometimes our deepest longings are not signs that something is missing or wrong. They are signs that God is near, guiding and calling us forward.