𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐭: 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒔 5:7-9 (𝑬𝑺𝑽)
“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍. 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉? 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑨 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒑.”

Anyone feel like they are drifting in here? Would you notice if you were?

Swimming in the Atlantic Ocean one summer, the waves were super fun and strong. I had not noticed a rip tide nor the fact that I was being pulled far away from where I had started until I looked to spot my umbrella on the shore.

It was nowhere.

That moment of panic that hits as you try to gauge just how far you have drifted to assess your situation while chastising yourself for not noticing sooner is quelled once you see that familiar benchmark and start to plan your way back.

But what if there is no benchmark? No measure to discern whether or not we have strayed? Oh, then, we would be lost at sea.

We might not be lost at sea, but we can sure get lost in this life and culture, can’t we? Like waves that push us around, there is a confluence of influence in our lives, constantly dragging us away from what we know to be true.

You can’t hardly open your eyes without influence breathing it’s values and persuasion all around us. The radio, the television, the internet, the people all around us are exerting an influence upon our souls.

It can make a soul tired. It can wear anyone down if we are not ready for it . . .