Drifting Away

There's a place on the Current River that is beautiful. A little bit of river under a shady tree where the mink occasionally play and the fresh, cold spring running out of the rock sends a mild, cool breeze to wipe away the sweat. I Love to just lay back on a floating raft and let the water rock me gently to sleep. The problem is... when I wake up, I've drifted with the current downstream into the grey, dry branches of a fallen tree, sunk but also jutting out of the water in the middle of the stream. I try to avoid getting tangled in the sharp, pointed spears of broken, splintered limbs, but the current has gone too swift and I can't paddle back upstream. I roll off of my mattress to try and walk it around the tree, but the water is also too deep for my feet to find purchase.

In a panic, I cling with one hand to the raft and grab and pull in a sidestroke to swim my way clear of the viscous mess in the water. I manage to avoid the worst of it, but still get scratched and scraped by the sharp ends of broken limbs I had to swim through. For just a second, I think I'm too tired to make it, but then I'm free of the mess and lay back and float further down the stream to shallow waters.

We live in a fallen world. It's full of dangers and obstacles that both entangle, hurt, and even kill us. And, we usually wait until we're caught up in a current that is so swift that it leads us further down toward a deadly outcome... and we become just exhausted and too tired to fight the current, so we let it suck us in. Maybe... just maybe we can get out alive, with only a view scrapes and cuts to remind us that in this world there is pain and sin. Or maybe, we pray, and find a shallow spot to sink our feet into and we can wade ashore... albeit a long way from where we were.

Or maybe we just sleep until we die.

Staying in that place where God is takes intention. Work. The closer to God, the easier the work. But sometimes even the most pious of Christians find themselves asleep at the wheel... or rather... asleep in the pew. Prayer become a memorized list of words. Scripture gets replaced with feel good pop psych, do it yourself books. Worship brings out the emotions but fails to connect you with God. And all that supernatural stuff is just myths and legends.

And we drift. To where, I don't know. I only know that this world is fallen and its current is gentlest next to the cross. But it takes effort to remain there. This fallen world has a current that is designed to lull you to sleep and gradually pull you away from God. Away. Into a place where even your best religious struggling can't move you. You need to return to the relationship God affords. Wake up, Oh sleeper.

Wake up... or pray for God to give you a shallow space. Either way.... God can save you, he can place your feet on the rocky and firm soil again. But don't assume it will be just as it was. You still need to make your way back to Him. Return to your devotions, prayer and true worship