This post contains affiliate links by which I may earn a commission to support this ministry and my family at no extra cost to you. Disclosure
Do you have an anchor for the soul? What is holding you steady against the currents?
I fell in love with kayaking a few years ago after I tried my brother’s kayak when we went camping together. My husband bought me my own kayak for a Christmas surprise a year or two later, and I made myself a shirt that says, “Kayaking is my therapy.”
I love peacefully paddling across the lake or navigating the currents of a creek or river. Something about getting out in nature soothes my soul. In the worst times of life running or kayaking was about the only thing that eased the knots in my stomach from anxiety and stress.
This fall I enjoyed a solo kayak trip at the nearby Leaf River. I found a spot where I can get in and out of the river all by myself, and I am still so excited! I paddled upstream about an hour or so, sat in the water looking for interesting rocks, then floated back down to my entry point.
Lest you think too much of my solo adventure, know that the “river” never got more than four or five feet deep where I paddled. Most of the way it was only about two feet. I could easily reach out and touch the bottom. I got a nice, but not strenuous, workout paddling against the current, and a relaxing, slow float back down.
Once in a while, on the trip upstream, my arm needed a break, but as soon as I relaxed my paddle, I started drifting sideways and backwards down the river. My brother gave me a kayak anchor I wanted to try out, but I left it in the back instead of letting it hang down. So I kept going until I was ready to stop at a sandbar on the bank.
I walked on the sand to stretch my legs a bit, sat on my kayak and had a snack, then sat in the moving water on a sandbar and collected rocks.
On the slow drift back downstream, I decided to see how well my anchor worked. This time, I hung it over the side before I got back in the kayak. We rigged it up with a dog leash to easily let it down and up from the cockpit.
I paddled out to the middle and let it down. Even in the direct current, the small anchor held fast. I peacefully sat still as the water flowed around me.
In our journey of spiritual growth, we are constantly paddling against the current of the world. All we have to do to drift away from a close relationship with God is stop moving forward. Sometimes we get weary. Our arms are tired. The sun is hot. The current is strong.
Taking a break isn’t wrong. I think of Elijah who left a mountain top experience and took a nap. But when you just stop, you immediately start drifting backwards, sideways. You lose ground (or river!) you worked hard to cover.
Maybe you need a season to sit back and rest. Maybe your Good Shepherd even made you lie down as He did me. But first, you need an anchor for your soul.
What is an anchor for the soul?
Hebrews 6:19 says we have this hope as an anchor for our souls. Without the hope of Jesus, we have no anchor—nothing to steady us against the constant current or inevitable storms.
How do you set your anchor?
Hold on to faith in Jesus and the things that keep you abiding in Him:
Prayer, scripture, worship.
Continue in these even in your season of rest to guard against the drifting that can lead to a backslidden life or shipwrecked faith.
Continue in these even in your storms when you are just holding on for dear life.
Created by christianphotoshop.com. Used by permission.
Prayer: Keep talking to God.
When anxious thoughts race through your mind, or you keep rehearsing past events, or you host imaginary conversations, you lose focus and drift backwards. Instead, consciously stop your self and talk to God.
Scripture: Keep Listening to God.
God speaks to us most clearly through scripture. Staying grounded in His Word keeps us steady and helps us remember the truth when we’re tempted to listen to the lies in our heads.
Worship: Keep Looking to God.
Worship calls up to look beyond our circumstances and remember who God is: Creator, Father, Savior, Lord, Good, Truth, Love . . . (Listen to these songs to Worship While Grieving)
Set your anchor.
Then put your paddle back in the water, one stroke at a time.
Forgetting what lies behind, press on toward the goal of your calling in Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
