June 19, 2013

  • A Steadfast Anchor
    by Evelyn P. Johnson
     
    An anchor is an instrument attached to a ship which, when cast out, the crew can depend upon to hold the ship securely in one spot. In our lives we have all sorts of anchors to which we attach our faith.
     
    My earliest anchor was my parents—and home. Near the home fires and within the loving care of mother and father, I felt safe from all fear and worry.
     
    As I grew up this anchor lightened and gave me more and more rein until, finally, I cast it aside for another—the loves of the man I married. Once again I was secure in the warmth of home.
     
    Stormy water came with World War II; and the death of my husband, while he was in service, left my three daughters and me without the strong anchor we had depended upon.
     
    Somehow I made it through the teenage years of my children. When the last one married, I was completely alone. Shortly thereafter, I found love again and remarried. That union, too, was broken when death claimed my second husband.
     
    It was then that I realized how transient all my anchors had been, and I felt a vacuum in my life that could not be filled. In my groping for something to cling to, I turned to the Bible. The Scriptures told me to "cleave unto the Lord" (Joshua 23:8) and it was there I found the promise that "the foundation of God standeth sure" (2Timothy 2:19).
     
    It is only natural that we cherish family relationships and take pride in our homes, but we will find that all this is temporal. We live in an ever-changing world where there are always events to break into our happiness, or new occurrences to throw us into a tempest of confusion. It is then we need the stronger anchor of faith in Christ.
    When we place all our faith in Him, look to Him for guidance and trust all our cares to Him, then we have a steadfast ANCHOR that will never let us down. If we cling to Him, it will be impossible to drift entirely away. And when we are faced with the inevitable trials of life, we can overcome them with His help.
     
    Trials, discouragements. and disappointments still come to me daily, but the love of my Saviour never fails to help me rise above them. His love is all-abiding and His sacrifice was all-encompassing. I know I can rely on Him as a spiritual Anchor through all  adversities because "hope we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast" (Hebrews 6:19).

Comments (3)

  • I am just now getting to know you. These words reminds me of a Gospel song. Maybe you know it. Here are the words to the chorus. "We have an anchor that keeps the soul,
    steadfast and sure while the billows roll.
    Fastened to the Rock that cannot move,
    Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love."

  • @ata_grandma -  Yes, I sure do know that song. I love the hymns ... grew up singing them in church and also hearing my mother playing them on the piano. This is a great song with a lot of truth and meaning.

    What are your plans? Are you staying with Xanga or moving on? I still have to get my posts downloaded. Some years are very important to me and I want to keep the memories of them.

  • I have downloaded most of mine. I don't have any plans at the moment. I'm subscribed to a few friends where links to their posts come to me on e-mail. Unfortunately, I can't yet comment on any of them. I hate to give my personal data to too many sites. I also have met some on FB. The only trouble there is that I don't know them by their real names, and as someone else said, I like to keep FB for family and nearby friends. Hope that Xanga will continue in one way or another.

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