The Subtle Danger of Moral Drift
I’ve been reading a book by Dave Ferguson titled “Multiplier”, in which he addresses one of the issues that has been lowly eroding the moral character of Western culture over the past few decades. Ferguson accurately calls it “drifting”. It happens because we don’t notice the slow erosion of our character because it happens in tiny increments.
No sane person just wakes up one morning and decides to become a serial killer. Most parents don’t actually lie awake at night thinking of ways to make the lives of their children miserable. (although some children may wonder at times) These things happen because we don’t notice the slow drift. As a result some people end up doing and saying things that seriously hurt other people – often the people closest to them.
The Danger of Drift
Back in my younger years, shortly after getting my drivers license and gaining the freedom to drive my dad’s vehicles. Trying to get the vehicle to drift a little around corners was a challenge. We drove a lot of gravel roads, most of which had plenty of loose gravel between the tire tracks. I found it entertaining (when on the road by myself – not in traffic) to attempt to drive with the wheels on those loose gravel ridges. This would cause some fairly wild drifting and fish tailing at times. In retrospect, it was risky and foolish, however it also was where I learned to counter steer quite effectively. By the grace and mercy of God I managed to avoid ending up upside down beside the road, which could easily have been the result. The point being…drifting intentionally may be foolish and dangerous. Drifting is even more dangerous and deadly when one doesn’t realize it’s happening. That is true while driving, and also true in other areas of life.
Recognizing the Drift
It is typically relatively easy to recognize when the vehicle one is driving begins to drift. However, it is not so easy to recognize when we are drifting morally or spiritually. Solomon, known for his wisdom, writes about “little foxes that ruin the vineyards” in the Song of Solomon 2:15. Most often it is the little things that we let slide that over time accumulate and become big problems. This is where it is helpful to have a friend or two who love you enough to risk the relationship by being truthful about what you are letting slide.
The Battle Is Real
The battle is real and the enemy is ruthless. In 1 Peter 5:8 the apostle reminds us to be alert and to realize that we have a spiritual enemy who prowls around like a lion looking for those he can devour. He does’t play fair. He lies and cheats and uses devious means to deceive and destroy those who are not on guard.
So how does a person who wants to avoid the danger of drift set guard rails in place to keep from sliding off the road and ending up in a wreak? Dave Ferguson provides a tool in his book that he calls the “RPMS Gauge”. It is a simple tool, but it requires the development of a habit to use it effectively.
The RMPS Gauge
The RMPS gauge is a simple tool that anyone can use. It can be done on paper. I chose to create a simple app for my phone which you can access by tapping the button below this post.
It measures allows you to assess four areas daily. Relational, Physical, Mental, and Spiritual. The relational gauge is where you assess your connections with family, friends and colleagues. Assesseing your habits around exercise, nutrition and rest is the role of the physical gauge. The mental gauge asks you to reflect on what you are learning, how you are feeling, and your emotional state. And the spiritual gauge is a way to evaluate your relationship with God. Are you moving toward him? Or away from him?
I find it helpful to use this tool to rate myself in each of those area each day. Obviously this will only be effective if one is as honest and objective as possible. I know some folks who do this together with a spouse or close friend. It is possible that involving a friend might identify blind spots we may have in evaluating ourselves. I suspect the most helpful thing about using a tool like this is that we actually begin thinking about and monitoring our own condition.
About the APP
The app below is free to use for as long or short as you wish. It will open in a separate page on your device, and will save your input to your browser on your device. You will notice that your entries appear on the graph below the save button after you save the each daily entry. The data is saved only in your browser on your device. If you wish to transfer the data to a different device you need to use the “export backup” button which will download the data which can then be uploaded to the new device. (disclaimer: I’ve not tried that transfer so I don’t know exactly how – or if – it works)