Confession: I’m a little obsessed with anchors. I collect anchor decor, I wear anchor earrings, I drink coffee from an anchor-adorned thermos. My sons, fully aware but not supportive of my habit, hide anchor-themed merchandise in the store, lest I should see it and buy more. 

So why the obsession? The author of Hebrews describes the hope we have in Christ as an anchor for our souls, strong and steadfast. I love that word picture! Strong and steadfast. Our anchor. 

I don’t know about you, but in my life as a cross-cultural worker, there are so many things out of my control. Things always changing. Life always shifting. People always coming and going. Saying goodbye. Saying hello. Grieving something or someone. Missing life back in my passport country. Missing family. Traveling. Packing. Moving. Re-entry stress. Missing my “new home” while in my passport country. Watching my children go through the cycle of grieving, of goodbyes and hellos, of building relationships only to have to see them end again after just a few short years or even months, wondering if they will believe it’s still worth all the pain to continue to invest. 

Oh, how I need an anchor! Our hope, our certainty, our unchanging Christ, is our anchor! He is One who does not change amid winds that blow and waves that threaten to sink our boats. The anchor holds, keeping us steady and strong under the surface, not allowing us to be moved by what rages overhead. 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 says (from the perspective of a weeping prophet well-acquainted with trials), “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” 

In storm or in drought, we can rest in the confidence that Christ brings. Through it all, He is our Anchor and He is our Hope!