The Dreaded Drift

Our family made a trip to Lake Michigan the end of last summer. Our youngest daughter wanted to be water baptized in a lake that looks and feels like an ocean. We wanted something memorable and less traditional to mark the special milestone in her life.

The weather was a bit rough as large waves rocked the shoreline. Our daughter and her friend, both lovers of the water, took off giggling into the jagged water, fearless and free. My husband and I, along with our friends who came along to celebrate the event, watched from the safety of the shore as the strong wind whipped sand into our eyes, hair and teeth.

Our daughter and her friend jumped into the waves and swam around, oblivious to the fact that they were slowly being carried further and further away from the protection of the four sandblasted adults on the shore. Their bodies grew smaller and smaller as they drifted down the shoreline out into the deep body of water.

Eventually they glanced our direction and we motioned for them to come back to where they could be protected, closing the gap between us. This process repeated itself throughout the afternoon as they continued to be captivated by the immediate joy of water and waves.

This morning, months later, as I sat down planning to read the book of Hebrews, I couldn’t get past the first verse of chapter two. Paul, the author of Hebrews, gives us a warning, “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”

I sat and pondered the verse, unable to continue. I hate it when that happens. I think it’s called conviction; God nudging me to reflect on the true condition of my own heart. It’s as if God is saying, “You need to get the impact of what I’m saying here!”

It’s easy to look in the rear view mirror and see the times I have drifted from the safety of God’s will. In those moments when I have chosen disobedience, the rebellion of my heart has blinded my eyes from Truth. Although God does not move nor change, as I become engrossed and captivated by this world, I slowly drift away from the One who whispers, “Be careful, pay attention!” Without an anchor, the undertow slowly pulls me away. Eventually something snaps me back to reality as I look around stunned that my surroundings are no longer familiar. In those moments, God seems far away as He stands on the shore patiently waiting for me to turn back to Him.

When we lose sight of our vantage point; we drift. Peace and joy escape us as chaos takes up residence in our Inner World. It takes only a small wind to set us off kilter. As we slowly begin to go with the flow, our senses dull as we drift away from all we know to be true.

Going against the dreaded drift has required me to surrender to my own independent will and surround myself with those whom are not afraid to call me out when I lose sight of my purpose.

As we hold ourselves accountable to those whom God has joined us with on our journey, we will stand firmly planted, unable to be moved by even the strongest current.

Stay the Course...

Sheila Cote'