According to the ten-year-old in our house, drifting while playing Mario Kart is a good thing. In fact, if one doesn’t learn the controller combination to properly drift, one is almost always guaranteed to lose to a player who has mastered the technique. It’s a race. Drifting, as it’s called, reduces the amount of speed one loses when turning and helps maintain control of the vehicle, which you get to build yourself these days prior to play. Mario Kart has come a long way since its debut in the 1990’s.
Drifting, in most other senses, isn’t the most optimal determination. While thrill seekers in motor sports have their own understanding, the textbook definition is to be slowly carried away or off course, such as by wind or sea. Hebrews 2 makes very good use of the word considering discipleship and perseverance.
For this reason, we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.
Hebrews 2:1
What’s the concern, here? It’s that ever so slight shift away from faith and truth. What’s the proposed remedy? To pay attention. Mathematically, for every 1 degree a person is off course today, he will be an entire mile off course after traveling 60 in that direction. The gap between where a person is and where he or she intended continues to widen. Don’t you see that a lot in the world? How about in the church? What about in your family? Maybe in your own faith-walk? Looking back, can you see the moments where even a cursory degree led to a season of drifting away?
The Greek word we translate into English as drift from Hebrews 2:1 is pararrhueo. Included in the definition is the idea of being carried away or to have something [valuable] slip one’s mind. The big dilemma is that, according to the song lyric, people are “prone to wander.” The drifting isn’t so much that which could occur in a person’s life, but that which will absolutely, undeniably happen on repeat unless, according to Hebrews 2:1, she pays careful attention.
Just what that looks like practically can and should involve the following:
Christian disciplines. Have you ever gotten sucked into a “get rich quick” scheme that proved far too good to be true? What about a diet solution that required zero effort and little to no life-style change with a faulty guarantee? The plain and simple truth is that anything worth having or doing takes some level of disciplined effort. Forgiveness of sins has been bought and paid for and is applied through faith. Growth takes daily surrender and that requires discipline. 1 Timothy 4:7 reads, “…rather, train yourself in godliness.” Followers or Jesus must apply what marathon runners understand. It takes training to run the race and that training takes discipline.
Christlike community. You have likely heard or used the phrase, “got your back.” Just like the quarterback on the field has a blindside on his non-dominant side, we all have spaces in our lives where we can’t necessary see what’s coming or prepare for the hits. One solid reason for Christian community is that God’s word plainly commands it. Another is that we so obviously need it. Ecclesiastes 4:10 declares pity for “the one who falls without another to lift him up.” It’s the same when it comes to drifting. Pity to the person who veers off course, even if only slightly, with no one to warn and redirect.
Christ’s power. There is a phrase often used. It’s not from the bible but sums up a widespread perception that isn’t completely inconsistent with scripture. “Work as if it all depends on you. Pray as if it all depends on God.” Rightly understood, however, we must acknowledge that no matter how hard one works, unless God builds the house, the effort is in vain. [Psalm 127:1] Paul explained to the Corinthian church that he planted and Apollos watered but that God himself was the one who granted
Unlike the 8th edition of the popular video game, drifting is not the goal. Paying attention to prevent drifting is. Knowing how to pay attention [discipline, community, and power] is certainly half of the equation. Perhaps, even more than half. The other is understanding your own temptations and even triggers. Is it moving too fast and being too busy that tends to steer you off, even one degree? Is it difficult relationships, circumstances, and even personalities that bring about your struggle? Is it social media, cultural waves, or even an ever-enticing news reel that diverts your attention, even for just one moment? The enemy knows those weaknesses and is present in and around and through them all, with one goal in mind. Causing you to pay less attention and drift away from truth. Consider making a list of your most prominent distractions. Identify those challenges. These are the things that limit the care with which you pay attention. Those are the things that cause drift in your life. Which one or more of the remedies provided do you need to lean into most in order to carefully pay more mind to the gospel, to God’s power, and to your own call? Be careful out there. Roads are slick. The enemy is out there. Pay attention so you won’t drift.
