Skip to main content

Riptide

                 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (Hebrews 2:1)

            Riptide: a strong current caused by tidal flow in confined areas such as inlets and presenting a hazard to swimmers and boaters.

          I have to laugh as I begin today’s blog post because today’s verse brings together concepts I’ve been writing about: paying attention and drifting.  And the idea of rip tides snuck in. They aren’t the only time that currents can catch us unaware, but they’re a good example.

          Not long ago, I wrote (again) about peace, and peace requiring that we drift along with whatever the other with whom we are at peace – as with a river. Now and again, we may find ourselves caught in a current or a riptide, a strong flow of water that takes us in a direction we don’t want to go. We might not notice at first. When we do notice, we may be shocked. We’re supposed to be at peace with the river (or sea) so why has it seemingly turned against us?

          With all my talking about peace meaning submitting or floating along with the Great River (or Sea) that is God, one might get the impression that God wants His children to be weak, helpless flotsam, incapable of swimming against the current. But such is not the case. His goal is for us to be “Merpeople” who can dive deep into His waters, and to fight against currents that are not His. That requires lung capacity, endurance, strength, and an understanding of the water.

          One of the things that Dallas Willard talks about in Renovation of the Heart is that it’s not really possible to think about two different things at the same time. Another is that our feelings tend to respond to what we’re thinking about. So the solution to our thinking about things we shouldn’t, or feeling in ways we don’t want to or should not is not to determine not to think about X, or to not feel some specific way about X. In other words, these things are like rip currents. You can’t win by floating or swimming with them. That gets you into more trouble. You can’t win by swimming in the opposite direction. Rip currents are stronger than you are. The solution is to swim across them, to get yourself out of the current.

          Another book I’m reading: One Thousand Gifts suggest that when we find ourselves in one of these dangerous currents of thought or feeling, that we should look for opportunities for thankfulness In other words, we need to change our focus. It’s not a call to go into denial or to chuck our brains in the garbage, but we have to get out of that current and to do so, we must get ourselves into another current – one that is safe for us. Thinking about God, praising God – disciplining ourselves to swim to a different channel (whether a current of water or TV) is the safest, most direct solution to being caught in a mental or emotional riptide.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Pure...

            The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Timothy 1:5)   I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) I’m probably cheating - or mishandling the Bible, but earlier I was thinking about love being pure and purifying. And hatred being pure and purifying. And anger…joy…patience… fear… jealousy… courage…lust… and other strongly felt feelings, attitudes, and beliefs. Today’s verse brings purity and love together, so it’s the verse of the day, but it’s not really the focus. That means my motive for sharing it with you probably isn’t pure. As you read through my list, you   probably thought, “Yeah” about some, and “What’s she on?” about others. But consider how much hatred, a...
Post a Comment
Read more