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In short, part of seeking holiness means purification of our desires, as we become less selfish and become more like God (Gal. 2:20).
Part of that can include purifying our desires for communion for him, i.e., out of love for him instead of the rewards we receive in doing so. And so, like a good athletics coach, the Good Lord tests us to our limits, pushing us to give our all for him and helping us detach from any selfish detachments in the process (see 1 Cor. 3:10-15; CCC 1472-73). So any apparent withdrawing by God—as we don’t experience his closeness even though he never abandon us—is for our purifying good, so that we can become all that he has created us to be, and ultimately enjoy the beatific vision in heaven that much more joyfully.
And so the journey to deeper holiness or spiritual greatness is a challenging one, but one undoubtedly well worth the effort. To navigate this journey fruitfully, we need great humility and thus radically childlike love (Matt. 18:1-4; 19:13-15), a task which can be challenging for adults who, in marked contrast to children, are used to—to one extent or another—being independent in living their lives in the world.