
I was out of my element as I attempted to settle my shaky body into a down-dog on the wobbly paddleboard. We had paddled across the lake and anchored our little crafts to the weights that were to hold us fast, and the instructor had begun to guide us through the stretches as we practiced balance and focus in the middle of a lake. There was an occasional splash as someone fell off their board, but my focus was all on keeping my balance. I was so intent that I didn’t realize my anchor was not keeping me in place. I looked up right in time to see that I was crashing into another woman on a board who was busy with her vinyasa. Watch out! I attempted to fix my anchor several times, but I kept drifting the entire class. My anchor just wouldn’t hold me in place. I had to keep stopping my stretches to paddle out of people’s way and to try to return to my spot. Not being able to trust the anchor to do its job left me unable to fully experience the class and the moment, while undoubtedly providing some comical relief to other onlookers.
Yet it made me wonder - in life, as I go about trying to gracefully live in the moment and strike my different poses as mother, daughter, sister, teacher, wife, friend, encourager - am I being pushed around? Am I stable, or am I slowly drifting from where I need to be anchored? What is holding me fast as I try to focus on each task at hand?
The scriptures show me with beautiful imagery that hope is my anchor. “We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold, and where Jesus, our forerunner, has gone in before us” (Hebrews 6:19-20).
Jesus went ahead of me beyond the sacred threshold, where I could not go on my own, and fastened me to the mercy seat - from where all the provision and grace that I need flows. Instead of allowing me to get blown about by the winds of life, or tossed around by the storms of doubt, he has secured me with an unbreakable anchor to the source of Life itself - to God. I am safe.
My hope is secure. It cannot be broken, it cannot be cut loose, it cannot be blown away. My hope is attached by Jesus himself, the author and perfecter of my faith, the one who showed me how to love and serve - the one who came to set me free.
There is a lifeline when you feel the storms pushing you around. Hold fast to the anchor of your soul. God will not let us drift far. The mercy seat is always at the other end of the rope. We are connected to hope itself. There is never a reason to despair. Reach down. Feel for the anchor - allow it to pull you back to the One who holds you. Our hope is in this: He holds you, and will never let you go.
-Kelly Joyce
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