DRIFTING AWAY IS EASY TO DO

Some mornings, I slowly open my eyes and say a prayer of thanksgiving. The sun hasn’t risen yet, so I stay snuggled in bed for a while and count my blessings. I feel present, I feel God’s presence, and I feel connected. These are my favorite mornings, and I wish that every day started like this, but they don’t.

Other mornings, as I wake up, I hear the phone vibrate. As I slowly adjust my eyes to the darkness, I pick up the phone to find that problems have already started. I haven’t even got the sleep out of my eyes, but I am already being called to get to work. Some issues are easily fixed so that I can drift off back to sleep. Other issues require me to get fully awake and head to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Sometimes, these problems require me to call technical support and be on the phone for hours.

Once all of the “fires” have been put out, and things are back running smoothly, you would think that I would feel a sense of accomplishment, but I don’t. You would think that I could start my morning over again and count my blessings. But, for some reason, I have already started down a different path, and I can’t find my way back. This path is called busyness, and I’ve flipped the switch from God to work. God gave me this job, and He knew how time-consuming it would be, so surely He would understand when the “job” called me away from Him.

Even if God does understand, I don’t. I hate feeling like I let anything take me away from His presence, but I can’t seem to stop myself from drifting away once I know there is a problem.

Drifting in itself is a problem. If you are driving down the interstate and take your eyes off the road, you might start drifting into the other lane. Drifting into oncoming traffic could be deadly for you and the other driver in that lane. If you are at the beach, and you decide to go for a swim, you have to be careful that you don’t start to drift out to sea. Drifting is dangerous, and it happens so gradually that it is hard to catch when it is happening.

How many of you remember the song by Dobie Gray; Drift Away?

Day after day I’m more confused
Yet I look for the light through the pouring rain
You know that’s a game that I hate to lose
And I’m feelin’ the strain
Ain’t it a shame

Beginning to think that I’m wastin’ time
I don’t understand the things I do
The world outside looks so unkind
And I’m countin’ on you
To carry me through

Hebrews 2:1

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 

The Lord knew that drifting away would be an issue for us. In this verse, He shows us the steps for staying anchored. Pay The Most Careful Attention! Drifting is not a violent move; it is slow and steady, and it gradually eats away until you don’t realize where you are. Think of yourself as a ship out at sea, and you have lowered your anchor to stay connected to the Lord. However, storms start to blow into your life, the waters begin to swell with worries and fear, and your anchor starts to rise from the bottom, which was holding it in place. Slowly, and inch by inch, you are dragged from your anchored position to a place you never wanted to go.

The second part of that verse says, “to what we have heard.” Just because we have drifted doesn’t mean that we have forgotten everything that we have heard and read about Jesus. Plus, we have an Advocate that walks with us daily in the Holy Spirit. If you call on Him, He will remind you of the Lord’s words.

John 14:26

²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

I might be confused, I might be wasting time, and the world might be unkind. But, I’m counting on the Lord to carry me through. To keep technical issues from steering me off track, I’m going to place my phone across the room and make it a rule that I can’t go to it until I’ve started my morning with the Lord. He is my anchor, and I want to stay right where I am…in His presence.

To God Goes The Glory!

Have A Blessed Day!