You can’t see the wind. Yes, it is true that you can see trees swaying from the effects of the wind and can even feel the pressure of it on your face as you walk out to your mailbox. But you can’t actually see it with your eyes. Yet, the fact that you can’t see it doesn’t make it any less real. The forces of culture are like the wind—often unperceived, but nonetheless powerful.

What is culture? A common illustration explaining culture goes like this: A young fish swims past an older fish. The older fish says, “How’s the water?” The younger fish replies, “What’s water?”

Culture is the water in which we swim every day. It affects the way we think, the way we interact with others, and even our view of what the “good life” is. Although culture permeates all aspects of our lives, like a fish in water, we usually don’t see it. It is only when we step back, and maybe even become a fish out of water in a different culture, that we realize how much it shapes and influences us.

Both wind and water have currents—sometimes nearly invisible, but no less real. Try walking outside during a windstorm or fording a raging stream. As Christians living in a non-Christian culture, we are deluding ourselves if we think we aren’t being pushed around by the currents of the surrounding culture. How can we resist cultural currents that threaten to move us away from what is true, right, and beautiful?

We must first perceive what currents are influencing us. Then we must reorient ourselves toward truth and not allow ourselves to be pushed downstream. And finally, we must develop a robust culture of our own. Just like the atmosphere rushes into a vacuum, a love of the world’s culture will rush into our hearts if they are not filled with a culture centered around denying ourselves, picking up our crosses, and following Christ.

See the wind, resist the wind, and fill your heart with the breath of God.