Anchored

I’ve been thinking about a lot about “anchors” lately.  I know, random.  Stay with me.

I was fifteen years old. My family and I were on our FIRST (and LAST) houseboating trip ever. I have many fantastic memories of family vacations growing up, but this – let’s just say these were not our BEST moments. Something about 11 family members stuck together on one boat, combined with a lack of expertise in mauevering a vessel this size, and a series of unfortunate events made it quite a stressful adventure…we can all laugh about it now.

The sun had set on the water and we were all tired from our first day. Dad & Uncle had set the anchor down to keep us from drifting overnight and we laid down to rest.  We hadn’t slept but a few hours when we heard grandma hollering out for my dad. He jumped out of bed to find that our boat had indeed drifted a long way from where we thought we were and the back of the boat was scraping along some large boulders on the shore. We helped push ourselves away from the rocky crag and upon later investigation realized we had not anchored to the bottom of the river as we thought, but instead to a large tree that had been floating deep in the river and was now entangled in our anchor.

How did that happen??? No idea. We banged on that tree trunk with every tool we could find, but could not get it off our anchor. UNTIL….get this! As the sun shone that morning, random “angels” arrived in the form of a fishing boat full of drunk guys with a chainsaw. ? ?.   We didn’t ask questions, we were just thankful they could help us. The anchor was freed and our vacation came to a premature close.

Lesson learned: know what you are anchoring in to!

I reflected on this story as I came across this scene a couple months ago while on a retreat at Lake Tahoe.

Boats…all different shapes and sizes. (Was there a houseboat among them I wondered ?) They were all  tied to the buoys. Securely anchored. In line….momentarily waiting. Waiting for their captains to take them on their next adventure in the open waters.

In a strange way- I could identify with those boats as they waited, bouncing up and down on the ripple of passing waves.

I’m with Laura (see her post “Waiting”   ). I don’t like waiting.

Our family is in a season of waiting….my husband has been faithfully working on his ph.d for five years now and three of those years have been on this dang dissertation. Edit after edit, re-write after re-write, reading book after book, hours and hours of writing: it is the song that NEVER ends.

His perseverance has amazed me. He’s worked incredibly hard and we have cheered him on, but we are ALL ready for this intense season to be over. As of last week another “final” draft has been turned in and we WAIT for the response of the committee as to whether THIS is the version that will end this particular long, painful voyage.

I tend to WAIT impatiently. Wait with fear. Wait overcome with anxiety at all the “what ifs?”.

What is the posture by which we should WAIT?

Maybe it goes back to that anchor….being ANCHORED while we WAIT.

Anchored into a STRONG foundation.

Anchored to who we know God to be. (“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10)

Anchored in the HOPE that the one who designed this ship, is also the captain of it. He knows where we’re headed and how to get there. He knows what new adventures are ahead. He knows what repairs are needed here, in the waiting before we’re ready for the next voyage.

Are you in a season of WAITING too? May we not be tossed to and fro by the waves of fear or find ourselves anchoring to the wrong thing that leaves us drifting and crashing.

But rather, WAIT anchored strong, firm and steadfast to the knowledge of the character of our God. Though our circumstances change… He never changes. He’s a secure foundation.

“We who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

This hope we have as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19

 –Alyssa