Adrift

   

  When I was young and my family vacationed in the Adirondacks, I used to take a book, a drink, and a snack with me and row our old wooden boat to the middle of Long Pond. It was more of a lake than a pond, whose central area was sometimes affected by winds coming from several directions at once. Other times it was quite tranquil, with barely a ripple seen on its surface. 

   Although fit and wiry-strong as a child, I was not really the adventurous sort. I might take out the kayak on occasion, but never the large metal canoe, which frightened me by its need for such strong control. (One time I nearly ran over my older cousin when I was supposed to be watching over him as he swam across the lake. I can still see the look of shock on his face when he looked back at me, about to run him under!.)  No, the old red rowboat was just my speed. I could let it drift gently with the current while totally absorbed in my book of the moment. 

   I remember reading Leon Uris’ Exodus, a hulking but power novel of Israel’s birth, and becoming lost in its pages, only to find I had drifted far beyond what I considered a known and safe location.  Not only was I no longer in Israel in the late 1940’s, I wasn’t even in the known world of my 1965 Adirondack lake.

   I was reminded of this recently while reading on the deck of our cabin in the Oregon mountains. I ‘awakened’ from my reading, to a world of mist, the trees barely distinguishable despite their nearby location. I felt the Lord prompting me to pick up the journal lying. beside me and listen to what He had to teach me analogously in that frozen moment. It applies to so many of our various situations as believers. Let Holy Spirit, both our Dock and Mooring, unpack its relevance for you, in this particular moment in your life. I know He did so for me. Here is what I wrote down:

   “You see how quickly you can drift away. Days pass by, hours slipping away. You drift from your Mooring without even realizing it. You expect to see yourself tied securely to the Dock, but you discover you’ve drifted far out to sea in the misty waters, where it is difficult to discern the shoreline or recognize your true location. It all happened so quickly while you were absorbed in other things. The rope slipped so gradually (with a little help from your unseen Adversary). The stealthiness of his visit gave you no warning. You forbore setting your security system because the peaceful mist lulled you into a false sense of security. You expected more fanfare in his approach. Just pulling the slipknot was subtle but effective. Now you float adrift.

   It is actually somewhat pleasant there, with no conflict, no battles to fight, no action to be taken, no challenges to face. You could actually drift comfortably off to sleep in the peace of it. Maybe you’ll just curl up and take a short nap. What could be dangerous, when you are enveloped in that seemingly peaceful cloud………

….adrift in the mist?”

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“Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” —1 Peter 5:8

“I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to put restrictions on you — I am simply concerned that you live in a proper manner and serve the Lord with undivided devotion.” -—1 Corinthians 7:35