Anchored

Who is your Anchor?

Who is the anchor in your life, or should I ask: What is the anchor in your life? What are you currently leaning on or relying on to keep you grounded in a place of security? What do you currently hold onto like a lifeline when life gets rough, but in the true face of adversity, that very thing has or will eventually and inevitably fail to hold you up and keep you above water?

For some of us, we may have used things like: a person—family member, friend, significant other/spouse to be our anchor, and unfortunately, people will never possess the true power to hold us up in the same way that God can. People are flawed, people make mistakes, we’re all trying to grow, learn, and evolve. We sometimes say and do things that hurt each other… we’re simply imperfect people, most of us, just trying to get it right for the glory of God.

Is it recreational drugs, sex, excessive exercise, workaholism? What is it that you turn to when life begins to get the best of you?

Are You The Anchor?

Though I have only been blessed by God to experience 26 years of life, it didn’t take me long to realize that doing life without God as my anchor was nearly impossible.

I quickly learned that life isn’t as “picture perfect” as what I’d imagined or hoped it to be as a seven year old girl. Fairytale lives don’t exist, and the more that I fought to create such a thing using my own strength, the more push back I’d feel in every area of my life — the more that God would show me very clearly that this life was not my own… that I belonged to Him, and that His will was better and will always be better than my own. It was as if each time that I tried to do life my way, I’d quickly find my way back into a cycle of anxiety, stress, anger, worry, and fear. The crazy thing… I knew deep down in my core that God was always the answer, anytime that I had included Him in something, it would always surpass my own plans and the results would blow my mind, but if I’m honest, I just didn’t know how to surrender my control.

I spent many years justifying my own sinful choices, and measuring my sins up to the next man, never fully realizing that sin is… sin. God sees it all the same. It didn’t matter if they did it 200 times and I only did it 2, it was still a sin. I was still disobedient to God’s word, and there would still be consequences.

I quickly learned that I am no better than the next man… and my dear friend, if you’re anything like how I use to be, neither are you. We are only saved by God’s grace… we’re all sinners… only saved by God’s grace and mercy.

pride | The Need to Surrender

I am now able to quickly discern when the spirit of pride is operating not only in my own life, but in the lives of others, and I think it’s because pride hid deep down inside of me and ruled over me for so many years, and in ways and areas of my life that I wasn’t fully aware of until I chose to fully surrender my life over to God and the Holy Spirit began to work on me. Exposing me… to me. You see, there were many things that I was faced to look at this past year about myself, my life, my marriage, and even my purpose, and if I’m honest, it brought me to my knees.

I spent many of my late teenage and early adult life looking for the answers on my own, doing life on my own terms, only including God in on the things that I knew would be nearly impossible to accomplish without Him. Prior to marriage, I spent many years making plans, and then getting frustrated and disheartened when things didn’t turn out the way that I had planned. I spent many years trying to make my way work, until… one day, it just didn’t.

God IS OUr Anchor

God isn’t a magic genie. He isn’t just someone that we call on when life gets hard. He should be a constant in our lives, a constant on our minds and in our hearts. We should seek Him out daily through prayer and through our worship. He is an ever present help in our time of need psalm 46:1, but He is FAR more than just that.

He is GOOD.

He is ALMIGHTY.

He is WORTHY and RIGHTEOUS.

He is our ANCHOR.

The one who holds us together when everything around us is falling apart. The one who will always be a steady source of strength and hope in our weakness. He is God. He doesn’t need our help. He doesn’t need our grandiose plans, He just needs our Yes. He just needs us to believe… to have faith… faith that He can and He will provide ALL of our needs.

God is ours and we are His. I encourage you this day to allow God to be your anchor. Allow Him to hold you up and keep you steady on both the good and bad days.

May peace and love follow you all the days of your life. May God shine His light upon you, be gracious to you and guide you to a life more fulfilling and joyful than that of today.

I love you my friends. Be encouraged.

All my love,

Amari E.