Shift and Drift - Drifting into His Peace, Driving Toward His Purpose

Shift and Drift

In peace I will lie down and sleep for you alone, 

Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:8   

In his book, “Faith’s Checkbook: Daily Devotional”, the influential Charles Spurgeon wrote,

“To have sweet sleep we must have sweet lives, sweet tempers, sweet meditations, and sweet love.”

Isn’t that sweet? 

Now I’m not qualified to rearrange the words of Charles Spurgeon (that’s an understatement).  But I think foremost, it’s the sweet meditations within our hearts that lead us to sweet sleep, sweet tempers, sweet lives, and sweet love.

Afterall, how does all this sweetness start?  It starts with our minds—the easy answer. 

But here’s the more complex answer.  The majority of scientific research reveals that about 95% of our daily decisions—from emotions to habits—are driven by the subconscious mind, leaving just 5% under conscious control.  That amazes me.  Another striking figure: the brain processes subconscious information at around 11 million bits per second, compared to a mere 40 bits per second for conscious thought. 

So where are your thoughts really coming from?  Where does your mind drift when left unchecked?   Who planted those thoughts in your mind?  And who is influencing you?  And where do you shift when life gets hard? 

You and I know the answers to some of these questions.  But all of them? It’s important to pay attention to our inner dialogue.  Because one thought or one habit has the power to make us feel resentful or inspired, uncertain or confident, doubtful or hopeful.  It can lead us into the arms of our Lord, or away from Him (which is a scary place to be).    

There’s immense power in thought—so how can we allow God to impress more heavily upon our subconscious minds? 

Well good news, God (being God and all) already knew that the subconscious is like soft clay.  It will take on the shape of whatever is pressed most consistently upon it. By consciously meditating on God’s Word, and repeatedly putting our hope in Him, we grow in faith.  And we grow and transform as God shapes and molds our subconscious. 

Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ. Romans: 10:17

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.  Psalm 119:105

Welcome to the dream world that becomes the real world, shift and drift. 

Like a Lullaby

At night I usually fall asleep easily.  But when I wake up, I sometimes have difficulty going back to sleep.   But thankfully I have a lullaby secret.

It’s a God-given lullaby, and it’s always fresh and new. It’s God’s Holy Word. As I read slowly through Scripture (often the book of Psalms), I look for a place to drift. Whenever a verse moves me into deeper peace, I sink into those words, allowing them to fully penetrate my mind. Then I meditate on them repeatedly, resting in the loving presence of God.

Inside something shifts.  It’s a peace that truly does transcend all understanding (Philippians 4:7).  I shift form my thoughts to God’s thoughts, which are always higher (Isaiah 55:9). 

Once my mind has shifted, it’s then that I drift into a sweet sleep.

Donuts in the Snow

Ok…before you drift off to sleep, let’s shift gears. 

As a young girl, I remember a winter day when the snow blanketed the streets. My Dad drove me along a side road near our home in Springfield (Booker Road if you know the area). Out of the blue he said, “Hold on,” and then yanked up the handbrake in our light blue Volkswagen Beetle.  Our car spun into a circle, and we did a donut. 😊  I was about seven years old and shocked!  But my adventurous side absolutely LOVED it!

At that moment, my Dad officially earned the title of The Coolest Dad Ever!  I could’ve done 1,000 donuts with him in that little bug. 

Donuts in the snow are another form of drifting.  How about we tie in a little drifting lesson from racecar drivers?  Buckle in, I’ll explain.

We’ll call it the “brake and weight” drift.  First, you hit the break, which then causes a weight transfer.  If this is done correctly, the car slides into the turn—and the driver experiences the thrill and the speed that they are seeking. 

No, I don’t usually do this when running late to drop the kids off at school.  But I do love this analogy.  Because as you and I head into the sharp turns of life, sometimes something completely unexpected happens, a sharp curve catches us off guard, and we react. 

It’s that moment of frustration or uncertainty that should be our signal—our whistle so to speak.  Like in rally racing when the officials blow the whistle.  One sharp blow, and every driver knows—pay attention, something important is about to happen.  In the same way, the Holy Spirit often gives us a whistle in our spirit.  You know, those gentle nudges that call us back before we drift too far, reminding us to drift God’s way, and put our full trust (full weight) and our hope in Him.  This crucial moment dictates which way we’re going.

Another thing racecar drivers know that whether you’re driving or drifting you must keep your eyes fixed in the direction that you want to go.  Likewise, when life throws us into the curves, we fix our eyes on Jesus, so we keep drifting His way. 

The Sequence: 

🏁 Brake – we slow down and bring that situation to God in prayer. 

🏁 Shift the weight – give God our fear, confusion, or uncertainty as we     put our full faith on His shoulders.

🏁 Drift – we wait and trust Him to carry us safely through the turn.   

A Pleasurable Drift

But let’s be honest.  Drifting has a bad rap in Christianity.  Because usually it’s viewed as slowly moving away from God instead of toward him.   

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

Solomon drifted, as he ‘chased foreign women’ (1 Kings 11:1–2).  Jonah fled, then drifted off to sleep on a boat (Jonah 1:5) completing ignoring God’s direction and good plan.  Peter drifted into denial when questioned about his relationship with Jesus (Mark 14:71–72).  And Martha drifted into her endless to-do list (Luke 10:40–42).  Each example is different, but each holds the same truth behind the drift.  There is always danger in drifting away from God.    

Even knowing this, sometimes we still drift.  Why?  Let’s go back to the subconscious.  It’s pain and pleasure.  We instinctively move away from what hurts and toward what feels good. But worldly pleasure can be fleeting, and the dopamine wears thin as temporary pleasure losses its allure. 

But God, our ever-present, all-knowing Father, offers a faithful, endless love with gifts that shine forever. So, we must make sure that our hearts are centered in the truth: God is good, He is for us, and His plans are better than ours.  So, we train our minds to see God’s ways as a pleasurable drift.

Because the curves are coming.  You know, like the moment when you feel like putting your child in a headlock—but instead, once again offer kind but firm discipline, divvy out grace, and gently redirect.   Or the stressful day that leads you to the pantry for the balanced escape of chips and chocolate.  But you close the pantry door and pray to the One who satisfies.  How about when you’re itching to fire off a sharp comeback at a coworker, but you swallow your words, offer a smile, and make your way to the water cooler. Or when your marriage is unfulfilling, disappointing, or even shaky.  But you stay faithful, choosing humility and prayer, as you continue to be his helper and keep lifting him up before the Lord. 

Even when it doesn’t make sense, God still has a plan—a purposeful plan that can always bring beauty out of ashes.

So let us always remember Ecclesiastes 3:11, He has made everything beautiful in its time. 

Night or Day

At night, Scripture can become our lullaby as we gently drift into His peace. And during the day, when life hurls us into sharp turns, we can choose to hit the brakes, and shift the weight of our burdens onto Christ, and drift safely under His care and divine provision.

But wait, there’s a third piece.  After the shift and the drift comes the sweetest part…the embrace. When we run into the arms of our Heavenly Father, we receive the warmest hug imaginable, one that whispers to our restless souls: “I love you.” And in response, our comforted hearts echo the words, “I love You too, Lord.” 

From sunrise to sunset, we can choose to embrace the wonderful, unexplainable love of God.  And yes, this side of heaven, life will still bring about pain and suffering.  But as we embrace our relationship with the Lord, we can also embrace each day—making our lives as peaceful as a lullaby, and as thrilling as a race.  So may we forever praise the One who longs to hold us close, just waiting for us to drift His way.

3-2-1

3 Scripture Verses, 2 Quotes,

& 1 Questions to Consider

3 Scripture Verses:                                          

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  Isaiah 26:3

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

2 Quotes:

“Pain, if sanctified, creates tenderness towards others.”

- C.H. Spurgeon

“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” - C.S. Lewis

1 Question to consider?

When the curves of life come your way, do you instinctively shift your weight onto Christ and let Him steer the drift? ale