Let’s say you are fishing offshore, near a small island along Florida’s west coast. You’re in a tidal inlet, where water levels vary significantly from high to low tide. Things are going well. You may have let out a bit too much line on your anchor. But you’re within sight of shore. In fact, you’re close enough that people in condos onshore are watching with binoculars.
“That’s odd,” you think. At almost the same time, you realize that—in your preoccupation with good fishing—your boat has drifted so far from the island that you are stuck on a sandbar. Aside from the embarrassment, and the damage you’ll cause to your equipment if you try to move before high tide, you aren’t going anywhere.
My family and I actually watched this happen. What’s the point? The parallels between what happened to this poor guy and his boat, and our spiritual lives, are just too clear to ignore.
This is exactly what happens when we drift as Christians. We give ourselves a little too much line. We aren’t alert and watchful. We may become so engrossed in what we are doing in the present, that we give too little thought to the consequences, or to eternity.
All of this is one more reason to give thanks for the Sacraments, particularly the Sacrament of Penance. Before we receive The Eucharist at any time, we should examine ourselves, of course. But to make a good confession, we must pay attention to any drift. Even my Baptist friend (see this post) recognized Confession and Penance as a clear moment of accountability.
The Sacraments. Christianity Richly!
Christianity Richly 