How to identify mission drift

A family beach day turned dangerous when my son was caught in a rip current and pulled out to sea, leaving me feeling helpless and afraid.
A lifeguard saw what was happening, jumped in, rescued my son, and brought him safely to shore, making it an incredibly emotional moment for us.
As we were leaving the beach, I noticed a sign that said “Beware of Riptides,” a sign I had walked past many times before without paying attention.
I realised this is the same principle at work with mission drift: the currents around us do not pull us toward missional faithfulness, but away from what matters most, and the signs are all around us.
Preventing mission drift begins with believing it is real, believing it could happen to me, and choosing to pay attention so that it does not become my story.