Increase Your Bloom AbilityПримерок

What Keeps Us From Increasing our Bloom Ability?

Have you ever faced a season of life where you needed five extra hours in the day just to keep up? That was my reality when my kids were young, and I was pursuing my PhD. There was too much to do and too little time. I could not have survived without the support of my family. So, when those seven grueling years ended, we celebrated with my parents on a well-deserved getaway to Mexico.

What could go wrong, you ask?

Unbeknownst to me, the private beach resort we booked for our celebration sat right next to a public nude beach, separated only by an invisible boundary. If you looked right, all was covered up. If you looked left, however…

Naturally, when on the beach, we planted our beach gear in the “safe zone,” fixing our eyes straight ahead toward the ocean. But after a while, I noticed one of my daughter’s shoes was no longer on the sand. The current carried it away—into “Nudesville.”

I decided we could take the loss and grabbed the remaining shoe to make the forward trek back to safety. Little did I know, a woman had noticed the missing shoe and retrieved it for me—from deep within “Naked Territory.” Unfortunately, she was polite and delivered it in her "birthday suit." What’s the lesson here?

Drifting is never without consequences.

The writer of Hebrews wasn’t dealing with neighboring nudists, but he understood the phenomenon of drifting—the subtle and silent manner in which we can be carried away, often without realizing it. He warns:

“We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” —Hebrews 2:1 ESV

Even followers of Jesus are susceptible to drifting. The author of Hebrews conveys his concern that new believers might abandon the Gospel and return to old traditions and practices.

Today, we face a similar danger: a pull toward trusting in something other than God, or becoming indifferent. Drift is a hazardous phenomenon—an unconscious floating away from Who and what we believe before we even realize it. The remedy for drift?

Paying closer attention.

Most of the time, drifting isn’t intentional—it happens when the currents of life take over. Maybe it’s the endless demands of work or parenting, the busyness of everyday routines, or even just exhaustion.

Before we know it, we’ve gone weeks, maybe months, without prayer or time in the Word. The intimacy we once shared with Jesus fades away, leaving our spiritual lives adrift.

What this encourager wants us to understand is that flourishing in a relationship with Jesus requires intentional effort. The message of Hebrews urges us to stay anchored, to “pay much closer attention” to the truth we’ve been taught. If we don’t, the currents of life will surreptitiously carry us farther than we ever meant to go.

What about you?

Are there areas in your life where you sense a spiritual drift? If so, it’s not too late to reclaim your footing.

Fix your eyes on Jesus and make every effort to be intentional about your relationship with Him to stay rooted.