Brothers

So I'm reading about Moses and Aaron, two brothers who have been chosen by God to be leaders amongst the nation of Israel. By the time I get to Exodus 31, these two men have been through quite the adventure. They've seen God get Pharaoh to release the Israelites, they've seen God part the sea and then turn and drown the entire Egyptian army, they've drank water from a stone, they've feasted on bread and meat straight from the hand of God. Over and over they've seen God miraculously come through for them.
Sometimes, when I read stories like this I think it would be so easy to have faith if I lived back then...I would never doubt God if I were able to witness these types of miracles.
Then chapter 32 comes and totally blows all my theories.
The Israelites are waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain. He said he was going to meet with God, but he's been gone for so long. They begin to wonder if he is ever coming back. They start feeling neglected and impatient. Aaron starts feeling the pressure of leading alone. The people are discontent...they want an answer, they want solutions, Aaron has to act. So, what does he do...he finds a God alternative. No big deal, just simply meeting the need as a leader. The people need a god to worship and the One they had is seemingly nowhere to be found. So Aaron molds a golden calf and they begin to attribute all the wonders of the God of the universe to their new graven image. "Oh, golden calf, thank you for saving us from the Egyptians...thank you for meeting our needs." Aaron served the cool-aid and everybody drank it.
It's mind boggling to me...how did Aaron get here? How did the entire Israelite nation get here? How did they witness so many miracles and then turn at the slightest bit of adversity. It's simple, their relationships with God were solely second hand.
Aaron was living like so many Christians live today. We go to church, get a message, and maybe even catch a vision. Someone tells us that we are called, so we jump on board and ride the wave. Then out of nowhere, we find ourselves in a different situation...God seems distant. We think, "maybe it had nothing to with tithing...maybe I was just good at budgeting" or "maybe the healing had nothing to do with God's power...maybe the doctors just had all the answers." We start being able to logically attribute every miracle in our lives to something or someone other than our Creator, because we never actually met Him face to face. And before we know it, we are chanting nonsense to a golden calf, and have completely lost track of where we've been.
The big difference between Moses and Aaron...Aaron was holding on to the coattails of another man's relationship with God, while Moses was climbing the mountain and meeting God face to face. It is not enough that our parents believe or that our pastor has faith...we have to have our own tent of meeting...our own experience where we come before God and get to know Him. Then, when He seems distant, we will know the truth and we will wait on Him.