Drift

Drift is great in certain settings, just ask any car enthusiast. If you can drift a car correctly around a corner, what fun! Picture a lazy, summer day in your friend’s boat. Drifting on the lake with a slight breeze on a sunny afternoon, relaxing! But outside of car races and gentle lake breezes, drifting is not a good thing.

If you are trying to dock that boat, you had better account for the wind and waves as you’re aiming for the boat slip. And if not, you’ll miss. If you are driving that car and the weather goes bad, drifting is the last thing you want to do. And if you start to drift, then you’ll do whatever it takes to pull out of it.

Listen to the words of Biblical book of Hebrews to a group of Christians. “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1, ESV). This is the wrong kind of drift. This is the car sliding on the wet pavement, and the boat missing the boat slip due to the waves. This is the drift that wrecks what you always intended.

The Christians in Hebrews were slowly drifting from their faith because of the conditions around them. Criticism. Ostracism. Isolation. Small waves that kept pushing against the side of the boat until they were off course, confused and ready to give up. But Hebrews tells them to pay much closer attention to the small details in their lives, because often faith is lived in the small details.

That really is the battle, isn’t it? We often forget that the seemingly small decisions add up and collectively create strong influences. So, Hebrews tells the Christian, make sure you account for those struggles and factors that affect your faith. Know those factors are present and account for them as your steer the ship. Where are the repetitive struggles in your faith? If you know they are there, you can handle them better. Where are the places of greatest strength? Know where and what they are, and you’ll know how to use them better. Drift is something all Christians experience to some degree. Christians who walk the faith most consistently know how to account for the drift. No surprises and no wrecks.

Photo: https://jdellannophotos.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/vermontblackwhite.jpg