A little red boat.

Consider a little red boat at anchor. It’s so bright and fresh and enthusiastic in its little boat world. Over time it happily bobs and bounces to the waves and the wind. It gathers barnacles and its paint weathers and peels.
Out of ignorance, to keep it safe and sound, we may try tying little strings to the shore, to overhanging branches, to nearby rocks and our little boat will seem to be secure.
Then one day the weather may turn nasty.
Some of the strings may snap and start the little boat pulling and tugging at the other strings until they too begin to fray and snap under the sudden extra stresses. This is more than the little strings were meant to do. Some of the strings will hold on for as long as they possibly can until finally, reluctantly they snap. And the little boat is adrift without anything to depend on.
If only we had realised sooner that a good sturdy rope and anchor, secured to the river bed would have held the little boat in place through the mightiest storms and most turbulent waters.

Consider then that you are the little boat.
You have gathered around you dear ones ( friends and family, your little network) who are there through the bobbing and bouncing of the wind, each giving you their portion of support that adds up to make you feel safe. They are your strings.
But a storm arrives. Some of your friends for all sorts of reasons can’t continue to steady you. They pull away. The other friends have to work so much harder, they may have frayed from some of their own battles. They struggle so hard but in the end they unravel, fray and sometimes even let go to protect themselves.
Right when you needed them the most, at the height of the storm. You are alone.

Now…
Consider then that God is your anchor. Constant, strong, holding you firm and steady. With that anchor digging into the riverbed, any storm is able to be weathered.
And the rope holding us to the anchor? The only way to be able to connect to that protection, that safety. That would be Jesus Christ. The only way to the anchor.

The knowledge of that security, being able to completely trust in the anchor and the rope and the acceptance of the storm and that eventually it will pass. That would be the Holy Spirit.

Consider in a quiet moment…do you count the strings that keep you safe, or do you know you have an anchor.