Dangers of Drifting. By Jan Mattson.

Years ago, I went tubing down a local river with my sisters.  It was a familiar place for tubing.  My sister had planned where to pick us up.  Everything was ready and off we went down the river.  I had never done this before, but it was time to get over my fears of the water.

The day was beautiful, and the river’s current was gentle, so we just floated along.  The view was beautiful. Every so often my sister would yell back to be on the lookout for ‘dead heads’.  These were the tree trunks almost completely submerged in the water.  When we heard her warning, we would be on the lookout and then steer out of danger.

My mind was playing the ‘what If’s” game in spite of my determination to enjoy the trip. We were laughing at jokes and remembering things from the past. No one was paying any attention to the weather. Only my sister was. As I said, it was a beautiful day … until it wasn’t.

Sometime into the 2-hour trip my sister yells, “The clouds aren’t looking good.  We had better concentrate on getting to our rendezvous.”

Now instead of drifting and floating, we were actively trying to move quickly down the river to our destination.  The weather still didn’t look too bad, but there were no places to get out of the water and walk the rest of the way.

As the weather got worse, we could now hear thunder, and we had to get out of the water soon. Still, there were no places to come ashore.  Even if there had been, we would have had to walk through the woods, and there was no way to keep the river in sight.

By the time we came close to the meeting place it was dark, raining hard and there was a thunderstorm. We were wet, cold, shivering, and making our way to the bridge.  My brother-in-law was waiting to pick us up.  He was there.  He had the car lights aimed so we could see them. We could hear him calling our names. The closer we got, the louder his voice became and the brighter the lights became.  What a wonderful sight but we still had to get ashore and walk.

We were able to find a place.  It involved climbing a slippery, muddy bank, but we didn’t care.  We were out of the water.  Now we had to stay close to the riverbank, so we didn’t get lost in the dark.  We would call out to each other, and we stayed close.

Finally, we all breathed a sigh of relief.  We were wet, cold, and without shoes, but we were safe.  We were at the rendezvous. It became a story to be shared around the campfire, where we all laughed about all the mishaps we experienced. But what was meant for fun could have ended very differently.

One day not too long ago while I was reading the Word, this Scripture caught my attention. Hebrews 2:1 states:

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (NIV).

I looked more closely at this word: drift.  As I learned the different definitions and uses, I saw my tubing trip in a new way.

The word “drift” means many things. The act of being carried or driven by a current of air, water, or circumstances. A random course or gradual movement and change in direction and then the tendency to wander. There was so much to learn just from that one word. The final aspect of the word drift means an accumulation into heaps by a force of wind, or water, i.e. snow and sand.

This Scripture verse calls us to pay attention to the Word and what we have been taught by the Lord.  There is such a tendency to pass on reading the Word.  We rationalize that missing one day won’t matter.  But one day can lead to two days and then casual reading.

If I don’t pay attention to the Word, I can be carried away by words of others, wrong thinking, and even life in general.

On top of realizing this I also saw how subtle the drifting could be.  It has a carelessness and slowness that doesn’t arouse suspicion.  The next thing I know, I am left wondering how I got there.

Finally, another aspect of a drift can be equally dangerous. If sand and snow accumulate into a heap, forward motion comes to a standstill.

Unforgiveness can be that drift.  It keeps us stuck.  Wrongs or injuries are added to it.

Only the Word and a relationship with the Lord can free us and help us move forward.

I haven’t gone tubing since that day, but I have learned so much.  I wish I could say that I don’t drift, but I tend to every day.  It especially happens when things are going well, and I think I’ve got it together.

No wonder this Scripture verse tells me and all of us to pay attention. We not only need to be alert to the Lord but also to what is happening around us so we can follow His lead.  Just like my brother-in-law was a voice and a light for us that night, the Lord is our Light, and Voice every day.

Drifting is not an option if we want to grow in the Lord.

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