Many have heard of this parable: if you drop a frog into boiling water, it will immediately leap out to save itself. But if you place it in cool water and slowly heat that water, the frog won’t notice the incremental temperature rise—and will ultimately be boiled alive.
Likewise, humans recognize significant and immediate changes in circumstances. Yet, small, seemingly harmless modifications can accumulate until we find ourselves in fruitless seasons—and we never felt a single “big” warning sign.
“We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Hebrews 2:1.)
Much like we can reach a destination after a long drive and not recall any significant moments of our journey, so too can believers reach a state of apathy and indifference and not remember how they got there.
There are many circumstances that eventually lead us to drift in our spiritual walk. When days look alike, our brains stop paying attention. We coast because nothing seems to surprise us anymore. Juggling work deadlines, family obligations, financial pressures, and social commitments can exhaust our mental reserves. At a certain point, we “check out” just to preserve what’s left. Ignored doubts about purpose, identity, or beliefs can make us turn inward and disengage from God.
It’s essential to note that deliberately resting in Jesus is not the same as drifting into neutral.
When tragedies, burn-out, or significant events occur that call us to retreat from the world for a season, we are to pull off the road and into a “spiritual rest area,” in order to find solace and comfort in our Savior. Jesus promises peace to His followers. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28.)
But when we unconsciously drift, we mistake coasting away from the very source of our strength for respite and pause. Instead of emerging from our season renewed and recommitted, we find ourselves spiritually depleted—our hearts dull, our passion cooled, and our faith on autopilot.
We should feel spiritually and emotionally close to Jesus when we pause the chaos of life and intentionally rest in Him. Conversely, we may experience loneliness and disconnect when we passively wander from God – even while still believing in Him.
Moving out of spiritual apathy requires intentional, small steps to get back on track.
In the world of psychology, counselors and therapists emphasize to patients that the first step – to admit one needs help and to reach out for support – is both the hardest yet the most momentous one. In regard to our faith, when we detect that we have unconsciously strayed, our first profound step is to cry out to God to save us from our drifting. There are Scriptures full of hope and God’s promises in this regard:
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8.)
“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18.)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8.)
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13.)
After recognizing and admitting that we’ve drifted away, we can recommit our hearts to God’s purposes: carving out daily time to read Scripture—allowing His Word to realign our thoughts—offering humble, honest prayers, and reconnecting with the body of Christ through worship, fellowship, and service. These simple, steady acts reignite our passion for Him and keep our hearts sensitive to every stirring of the Holy Spirit.
Finding the energy and motivation to cry out to God when drifting can feel like reaching for a lifeline while barely treading water. Yet the beauty of God’s grace is that He meets us in those very places of weakness. When we surrender the gear shift of our lives back to our Father, He can resume His rightful spot in the driver’s seat… and get us safely and expectantly back on the road.