THE ANCHOR HOLDS

The anchor of the Christian is in the Holy of Holies, "within the veil," where Jesus our High priest ministers the blessings of His blood-bought salvation to all who come unto God by Him. Philip Mauro has suggested that the picture here is that of the anchoria which was used in olden days in the harbors of inland seas, to assist vessels which could not make port under their own sail. In such a case, a "forerunner" went from the ship into the harbor and fastened a strong rope to the anchoria, a great rock immovably imbedded close to shore. By means of a winch on board, the vessel, thus fastened, was brought in. It is a helpful thought. Because my anchor is cast within the veil, because I am fastened to the Rock, because I am joined to Him who is gone before, I shall make port at last.

Let us therefore look to our anchor, and see to our moorings. Then let the breakers roll and the floods swell and the tides lift and the gales sweep; let our sails be torn to shreds and our masts and tackle carried off as driftwood; let our timbers creak and the old ship rock and reel in the storm: we may still enjoy the quiet of the presence of God, and smile at the sea and the wind, for with our anchor fast "within the veil" we are safe and drawing every day nearer to heaven and home.

It seems that some of the most frustrating moments for our three-year-old come when she attempts to do too much. It may be trying to carry nine stuffed animals at once, or squeezing a dozen toys into a tiny purse and trying to zip it closed, or trying to carry a full cup without spilling. Often she tries to do the impossible but refuses to accept the fact that her desires are just plain unreasonable and beyond her ability. All her attempts only serve to cause greater frustration and exhaustion. She just tries to do too much.

I have seen many Christians, myself included, trying to do the same. We take on too much and wonder why we end up in tearful exhaustion and frustration. We may be doing worthwhile things: serving the Lord in our church, caring for loved ones, community service, entertaining friends, but there is a limit to what we can do. Often we ignore those signs that indicate we are attempting the impossible. There are only so many "stuffed toys" we can carry at one time! Yet we tend to have the immaturity of a three-year-old when we refuse to put one down or acknowledge we cannot handle it all. We allow the pride of our sinful nature to cause us to want to say, "I can do it all." But that is not what our Lord wants from us. He just wants a willing heart and ready hands. We can best serve Christ when we release our expectations of ourselves to Him and seek His will regarding what and how much He would have us do. Then we can faithfully carry out the tasks He has for us, with strength to continue on in His service. It is not His desire to frustrate or wear out His children. He seeks busy hands with contented hearts. Only when we realize our limits can we exceed our expectations.