To live apart from God is to live on one dimension.
A dimension where all our concerns are horizontal, consumed with questions like:
... What shall we eat? Or wear?
... What will others think?
... What will get me ahead and make me happy?
But God didn't make us to live on just a horizontal level.
He made us to live vertically related to Him.
And to bring His purpose to bear on the world as we live in union and communion with Him.
This is why Jesus tells us...
Apart from Him you can do nothing, but in Him you bear much fruit (Jn.15:5).
And further...
You're to put first the vertical matters of His kingdom and His righteousness, knowing that as you do all your horizontal concerns will be taken care of (Mt.6:33).
Staying vertically connected to God as the source of all we need and care about is the key...
... to both navigating life and thriving in the world as He designed.