Choosing Our Anchors Wisely
@bethvogt
I own two anchor necklaces.
My husband gave me one last Christmas. The other was also a Christmas gift from my dear friend, Angie. I’ve worn one necklace most days this past year. The other one hangs from the rear-view mirror in my car so I see it most days, too.
Why are these two necklaces so important to me?
Because my One Word for 2019 is “Anchor.”
Many of you know how I abandoned the whole New Year’s resolutions thing years ago and now choose One Word to focus on each year. Words like forgiveness and trust and collaborate. Doing so has changed me in ways I never imagined, forcing me to confront heart attitudes, while uncovering both weaknesses and strengths.
I have three more months to focus on my 2019 One Word. Reality is, I will keep wearing my one anchor necklace when this year ends, and I’ll also keep the other necklace hanging on my rear-view mirror.
It hasn’t been easy, grasping this whole idea of “anchor.” The one thing I’ve learned is how quickly my mind and emotions can become unsettled by my circumstances.
And maybe that was the point of the past year: realizing that I can allow my circumstances to have too much sway over me. If I’m not careful, I can anchor myself to what is happening – good or bad – rather than anchoring myself to the trustworthiness of what stays the same.
A lot of things have happened in the past months, both expected and unexpected. Sometimes it’s felt like circumstances have ruled the day … that they have ruled me. But thanks to the constant visuals of my two necklaces, I’ve anchored myself to the word “anchor” – see what I did there? – and chosen, again and again, to find a stronger, surer anchor. One that holds me steady, rather than tossing me around: the truth of who God is.
God doesn’t change. He is the stability of my times. (Isaiah 33:6)
God’s love for me doesn’t change. He abounds in steadfast love. (Psalm 86:15)
God’s provision for me doesn’t change. Nothing –no circumstances – can separate me from Him. (Romans 8:31-39)
Now that it’s September, I’ll begin to pray about my One Word for 2020. I’ll watch for a visual and a Scripture verse. But even as I do, I’ll be careful not to forget what I’ve learned this year about where I anchor my heart and mind. It’s my choice, day by day, to focus on the truths that hold me steady, instead of the fluctuating circumstances that can seem like trying to balance a teeter-totter all by myself.
“I’m secured by your grace as I sail across this stormy sea.”
The visual I included with my One Word post last year brings me back to grace, once again. I won’t be perfect at not reacting to my circumstances – but that’s not the goal. As one of the signs on my mantle says, “Live by grace, not perfection.”
And the truth that God always offers me grace? That anchors me, too.
