Gradually. That is how most believers drift away from God. That is how most people drift away from anything good, for that matter. We recognize abrupt. Abrupt grabs our attention and often shakes us into reality. But gradual – gradual is dangerous. Gradual can be deadly.
There have been times in my life where I’ve found myself gradually drifting away from my values and convictions. Sometimes, the overall stress in my life pushes me into “survival mode.” It is during these times I am most at risk of gradually drifting from the things that truly make me who I am. I don’t like it when this happens.
The problem with gradually drifting away from God is that, in the end, we wind up someplace we don’t want to be. As I have said before, egregious “falls” don’t typically happen overnight. It is usually a gradual process. A little drifting, and then a little more – next thing you know, your sins have been uncovered, and you stand to lose everything.
But this is not the will of God for our lives. Self-destruction is a real thing. You’ve seen it. So have I.
Self – a person’s essential being that distinguishes them from others, esp. considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action.
Destruction – the action or process of causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired.
Though these dictionary definitions hold true in most cases, thankfully, for the believer, we have other recourse. First of all, I do not believe God would allow one of His children to self-destruct. He loves us too much. Look at the way He treated the nation of Israel. He never allowed them to become so far gone that they were completely destroyed. We won’t be completely destroyed either.
But here’s the thing, I don’t even want to go down that road. I don’t want to be the unruly child. I want to thrive in my life, and in my relationship with Christ. Whatever is wrong, it needs to be made right.
If you find yourself drifting from the Lord, please know that you don’t have to continue to do so. Own up to it. Confess it. Pray for help. Do the things you used to do at first. You have a loving Father who is right where He’s always been. Waiting. For you.
