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 something familiar. 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. A deliberate focus guided our spiritual journey.
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 present, but what you stopped doing miles back. These lyrics of this song by Casting Crowns say 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 led him to commit a grave sin, which led to other sins and further alienation from God.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
We are all susceptible to drifting into sin and, worse yet, growing 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 the wayside. A slow fade. Not keeping their eyes and hearts 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 to 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 in 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 minds and hearts and to set our focus 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 12:2
PRAYER
Guard our minds, Lord. Guard our hearts, our eyes, our ears. May we intentionally fix our eyes on our precious Savior, Jesus. Amen.
Andrea Maher is the former editor-in-chief of PARENT ABC’S, a monthly magazine. Her writings have been featured in local newspapers and parenting publications nationwide. She writes a monthly blog, Women Arise, for Soldiers for Faith Ministries. She is the author of SLAMMED: Overcoming Tragedy in the Wave of Grief, and her newly released book, “LETTERS TO MY SON: Solely a God-Story” is available through Amazon.
She is the executive director of the Be Still Foundation, a ministry that disseminates hope and encouragement to families in crisis. She has been married to her husband John for 50 years and has four children and 12 grandchildren, with another expected in the spring. You can listen to Andrea’s MARKINC Help & Hope story: Surviving a Tsunami of Grief, and her son, Matt’s Help & Hope Story: One Wrong Decision Can Change Everything.
Link to Andrea’s Help & Hope interview https://markinc.org/help-and-hope/2018/4/19/breaking-free-from-the-tsunami-of-grief-a-conversation-with-andrea-maher?rq=andrea%20maher
For more from Andera, visit:
https://www.bestillfoundation.org/blogs?author=5f8b589c3a10846d623672ff
Reprinted from www.bestillfoundation.org with permission from Andrea Maher
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
