Women Arise: Drifting Away
Have you ever taken a dip in the ocean only to return to shore blocks away from your original destination. Bewildered, you begin to look for some object of familiarity. What happened? Well, you didn’t intentionally keep your eye on a focal point, so you were unconsciously pulled away by the waves and aimlessly tossed in the direction of the current.
It’s the very concept of why a boat needs an anchor; the anchor keeps the vessel from drifting. That is why we refer to Christ as our anchor. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19). If we are anchored in the Word of God, we will keep ourselves from drifting into the wiles of this culture.
Yet drifting is the story of the Christian life. The pattern repeats itself in the Scriptures—eyes on God and the people flourish; eyes off God and the people drift. The word “drift” conjures up what a piece of bark, leaf, or a dead fish does in the river — it simply floats. It takes no life and has no active motion.
Do you remember when you first came to a born-again relationship with Jesus Christ? Most of us firmly set our routines on the daily reading and studying of the Scriptures. We were excited. Our spiritual journey was guided by a deliberate focus.
But, perhaps after some time, complacency or busyness set in. You began to skip devotional time; bible study became just another chore on your “to do” list. Or worse yet, church became a mere ritual of familiarity with little or no connection with the living God. “Therefore, we must pay close attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1).
The problem becomes not where you are at presently, but what you stopped doing miles back. These lyrics by a Casting Crown song says it best:
It’s a slow fade
When you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade
When black and white have turned to grey
And thoughts invade, choices made
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day.
It’s interesting to note when David lost his way. It says, “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war…. David remained in Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1). He decided to stay home and neglect his duties. He took his eyes off God’s purpose and found them fixed on a married woman. This indiscretion had him committing a grave sin which led to other sins and further alienation from God.
We are all susceptible to drifting into sin and worse yet grow desensitized to it. The world has shrunk to the size of a computer screen. TV, movies, and social media intentionally seek to present every type of sin as acceptable. And yet many fall by way of default. A slow fade. Not keeping their eyes and heart fixed on Christ.
“Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is He who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies. They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did” (2 Kings 17: 39-41).
This is a warning to us that we must be diligent as we live in a godless culture. If you wonder whether you have drifted just look back and compare where you are now with your walk with Christ– with where you were. Whatever we permit, we will eventually promote through our behavior. Are we making a deliberate effort each day to renew our mind and heart and set it on Jesus Christ? He should be the one and only focal point to guide our lives.
The ending of the song goes:
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
“Fix your eyes on Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith…(Hebrews 12).
