I was recently reading through a Bible devotional about Fred Rogers, more affectionately known as the TV personality Mr. Rogers. The devotional shared a bit about Mr. Rogers’ faith, his thoughts on life, and how we can be better Christians and people. It was eye-opening.
The first day of the devotional shared Mr. Rogers’ thoughts on calling and becoming who you desire to be. Mr. Rogers had many talents. He was interested in music, puppetry, and children’s education. Yet he didn’t see how these could benefit humanity.
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Mr. Rogers wanted to become a pastor. He began studying at a college to enter into pastoral ministry. He would change the world through preaching. Or so he thought.
Something changed one day. Mr. Rogers experienced television for the first time. He saw something in the technology that would allow him to use his talents to benefit humanity far more than becoming a pastor to a single congregation. He would be able to spread Christian values through a TV show and impact the lives of millions of children.
So, you see, Mr. Rogers didn’t start off with the idea of becoming a television sensation. He had a desire to help people and began on the journey of pastoral education. From there, he drifted and changed his plans as he saw new opportunities. It’s what he called a guided drift. God’s ability to move you when you hold your dreams and ideas loosely instead of tightly.
The idea behind a guided drift is that while making plans is good and wise, one needs to live a life that is open to change and led by the Holy Spirit. (from the devotional)
Guided Drift
We all have plans and dreams and great ideas of how we can be of service to others. Or maybe we’re thinking of how we can get more and do more. Either way, we have to be open to the idea of guided drift.
Let yourself be free and open to changing your course when you see something new, exciting, and possibly life-changing. This isn’t the idea of a shiny object or the squirrel syndrome. Guided drift isn’t going by your whims.
Guided drift is when you see something, sense a calling, and make a deliberate change because you feel God’s hand is guiding you.
Where do you need to lean into a guided drift today? It may be in your career. You may be drifting into a new career path. You may need to shift from the technical side of your work to a more people-focused work. Or it may be in your family. You may need to have God give you a guided drift to a more loving relationship with your spouse. Allow God to guide you to a new destination.
The more you allow yourself a little space to drift, the more you’ll discover God is guiding you to areas you never expected or believed possible. You’ll see things happen that once seemed impossible.
Guided drift isn’t wandering aimlessly. It’s not following your desires. It’s listening to the Holy Spirit and what He’s telling you to do next, even if it may seem strange, odd, or impractical.
Listen to the guided drift. Then allow yourself to drift into something new.
