I had a moment this morning as I was driving to church…you know, one of those panicky moments. The ones where I start questioning everything, anxious about my future (anxious about my present)-This pushes me into what I lovingly refer to as the “shame spiral.” Where I literally feel overwhelmed by the what if’s and what if not’s. And I feel like I can’t stop it. They pile, one on top of the other, until I feel like I need to come up for air.
I would love to say that I never have these moments…that my faith is SO solid in Christ, that NOTHING ever shakes me. But I would be lying.
I think we all have times where our life and faith feels solid…and then times when it feels like we are standing in quicksand. So what do we do with this?
Well, I’ll tell you what I did. I came home and re-read this message from class a few weeks ago. The Lord knows me and knows that I learn by repetition. I NEED His word and truth to be pounded into my head and heart….
Ephesians 3:17-18 NLT
“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”
The word rooted means “established deeply and firmly.” Established means “in a firm position.”
One of my favorite symbols (next to the cross) is the anchor. This is what I picture when it talks about being rooted in love and how deep His love is for us.
Get a picture in your mind of an anchor. (If I knew more about how to do this blog thing, I would have attached a picture of one for you to look at…but that exceeds the knowledge I possess, so we will imagine for now) Here’s what we know about anchors: Anchors are made of metal. They are sturdy, strong and heavy. They are made to grip, to hold steady, and go into the far depths…and to keep still. Anchors do their job in both calm waters, and raging ones.
Oh the love of Jesus…it holds us steady doesn’t it? It keep us STILL. Especially when all seems out of control. His love grips us and never lets go. And His love goes with us-whether we feel like we can keep our heads above water or not.
You can’t always see the anchor. In fact, if you’ve ever been on a boat, you know that the farther out you go, the deeper the anchor has to go. So deep that you can no longer see it. But it’s there…always there. Proving it’s strength.
Romans 8:39 NLT
“No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”