Why We Drift Away From God
"We must pay the most careful attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." - Hebrews 2:1
There are probably countless reasons why it happens that we drift away from God - our priorities, community, and ultimately our loves come to mind. This article in the ABIDING series covers why believers slowly grow cold and get further and further away from Jesus Christ. It also offers tangible and practical advice for bridging that divide.
This post is one of many free tools on Vine to help describe 'abiding':
May you find space here to pause, reflect, and abide.
Reasons for drifting away from God
Imagine a piece of driftwood washed up on the shore. The surface might appear smooth, but the reality is that there is no life in the wood. Once upon a time, it might have been attached to a root system, flourishing, with green leaves - offering shade to others, fruit to eat, and a place for birds to weave nests and make a home. Not now. Now the driftwood is doing exactly that - drifting along, purposeless, dry, dead, and lifeless. As more time passes and currents pull, the driftwood gets further and further away from where it started until the sea spits it out on some forgotten sandy shore.
In John 15, Jesus explained to His friends and followers what would happen if someone removes themself from closeness with God, the Vine. He said (verse 6) : "If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned."
When we drift away from God, we remove ourselves from His life-giving presence, and we do not realize that we will wither in time. We reach exhaustion. We burn out. We cannot go on.
So, what happened? Where is God? Why did we drift away from God in the first place?
Some of the most common reasons why believers separate themselves from the Vine include:
priorities What are you focused on? We become what we behold. If you are chasing a career, money, a degree, or even a spouse or child - these things pull our attention away from Him. God is not an item on your priority list, or a to-do box to tick, He is over all and in all. It lives through Him.
community Who is influencing you? Often, the people around us are the very thing distracting us from spending time with God. Do you recall how Jesus said 'Get behind me, satan' when this same thing happened to Him? We need to be careful and attentive about setting boundaries and deciding who we let in.
loves What has your heart? Ultimately, it comes down to the question Jesus asked Peter on the beach when He said: "Do you love Me?" Remember the Greatest Command is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and understanding. The things you love will have a magnetic pull on you.
The good news is that God can redeem things. You are not doomed. He is the God who brought life to the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel's vision and He is the One who makes beauty from ashes. Jesus defeated death - and He can bring living water back to the parts in your own heart that have grown calloused. All you need to do is invite Him in, go sit in His presence, and let His Spirit do the healing work of reconnecting you to the Vine.
Vine Creative Studio holds a collection of what I like to call 'encounter tools', resources connecting hearts with Jesus. You're welcome to try one out with my free Workbook on Living as a Wholehearted Follower.
Questions for Reflection / Journaling Prompts:
Think about the driftwood metaphor used above - Have you ever felt like this? When and what happened?
In John 15, Jesus talks about abiding in Him. How can you do that?
3 reasons why we drift away from God are given above: priorities, community, and loves. Can you think of another reason?
Prayer
Dear God, You are the Vine that I need to stay connected to in order to feel alive, be flourishing, and fulfil my reason for being. Please protect me against these and other reasons why people drift away from You. In the places in my own life, where I have drifted from Your sweet presence, would You bring me back, Jesus? I desire to lean back against Your sturdy presence and remain in You. May I always continue to abide in the Vine, Amen.
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