Out of Focus .....over time

Several years ago I had the opportunity to spend several months out West ...Oregon is my home state and I try to visit almost yearly :  I had planned to take  a lot of photos on the way ..mostly to build up my stock portfolio ...I took several thousand photos on this trip .  Lori was able to join me for several weeks and we had a blast hanging out and exploring the Central Oregon Coast , and of course  a few photographs along the way.  In time we returned to Nashville ..briefly , then it was up to Louisville for a wedding .  The night before the wedding at the Rehearsal my main on camera lens  stopped focusing .  I was unable to focus in either manual or Automatic focus .  Fortunately I carry several lenses and was able to  use some of my bench players for the wedding .  when we returned to Nashville I sent the lens into Canon for repair .  in less than a week it was returned to me and I started using it again .  I was surprised at how well the photos looked with the repaired lens ...there was a crispness and clarity there I almost did not recognize ...I started looking back through many of my galleries and noticed that over time the lens must have been going out of focus ..The worst shots were those I taken in Oregon just a few months ago ...comparatively they were almost unusable ..all that time and effort and I had thousands of photos slightly out of focus .  This happened very easily ...it wasn't an over night even  , until the lens finaly gave out completely it happened over time ..and over time I simply accepted the out of focus images as normal ..losing more and more clarity with each day , each month ...I do not want this to happen again so I belong to a service where I can send my lens in once a year ( same with the cameras ) to be re calibrated .  I find its very easy to accept an out of focus image as  " normal " if you do not have a point of reference . 
I have begun to realize this is true of our spiritual lives as well ...and its a pattern that you can see as you read the Bible .  Just look at Judges  for the very best examples .  We succeed because of God and once we suceed we thank Him and ourselves ...we lose focus and we drift away from His commands and suggestions ....sometimes so slowly we  actually think we are still doing His will .  This year like all the other years Lori and I have been at Spring house we will hear our Pastor tell us to read our bibles   ..from cover to cover ...its not only a good idea ..I believe it is essential ....His Word is our calibration ...As Human beings our tendency is to drift  ...As His children we need His commands to keep us on the Path .