What is Your Anchor?

“When I’m in a storm, I’d much rather have a helicopter than an anchor. An anchor implies that I am going to stay right where I am. But I’d like to escape, actually” says pastor Judah Smith. “Storms hit, and we say, ‘Jesus, I don’t want to stay here... It’s windy. It’s rainy. The waves are big. Where is my heavenly helicopter?’” I’m sure many of us can relate.

I believe we, as humans, are hard-wired to want to avoid pain. I know when faced with challenging circumstances, whether that be a sick child, a misunderstanding with a friend, a financial difficulty, etc., my first reaction tends to be “Jesus, please just fix it.” Implied in that statement is, fix it now because this situation is making me feel something negative and I want to feel better. Everything will be okay, I will be okay, when the (promotion, conversation, healing, ________ ) happens, or when the (relationship, checkbook, business deal, __________ ) works out the way I want it to. Hebrews 6 emphasizes our soul’s need for an anchor. An anchor is something that provides stability and security, something that keeps us from drifting, from being tossed about, from being overwhelmed.

But how many times do we look to people or things to be our anchors? A job. Our independence and grit. A spouse. Or maybe money in the bank, keeping a clean house, etc.. The problem with these anchors we create is that they are not reliable. The job may come and go, the spouse is human and will not always respond the way we want, the clean house doesn’t represent a healed or whole heart. Only Jesus is capable of being our anchor. He is our constant. For reasons unknown, He might not always airlift us out of the waves, but He will weather the storm with us.

As songwriter John Mark McMillan says, “I’ve got no answers for heartbreaks or cancers, but a Savior who suffers them with me.” He’s a Savior who, no matter what, is always good, kind, loving, and faithful. I encourage you to ask Jesus if you have any so-called anchors in your life that He wants to replace with Himself. Ask Him if He is capable of taking over, if He is trustworthy, and if you can believe Him to work all things for good. (Romans 8:28)

~Erica Leal