With school starting up, there’s no better time to anchor our children and ourselves. It’s more important and personally practical than you’ll ever know.
Whenever we went on my dad’s boat, it was my job to stay up front on the bow. This way, our fishing lines wouldn’t get tangled. But more importantly, my parents got a much-needed, well-deserved break from me. My continual talking and non-stop fidgeting wore them to a frazzle. And then there was the resulting sunburn that my dermatologist is constantly reaping the benefits from today.
Anyway, it was my job to drop and pull up the anchor whenever dad called out. Now dropping anchor isn’t just throwing it into the water. If you don’t believe me, check out the numerous instructional videos[1] on the internet. Not only do you have to make sure it’s tied to the deck, but you also need to “set the anchor.” You do this by pulling on the rope until it sticks to the bottom. And then, when it’s time to move, try even harder not to fall overboard when pulling it up.
Jesus Anchored Little Children
But there is another way to think about an anchor. The idea of anchoring can be something incredibly comforting and protecting for our children. For ourselves. The storms of life are rolling in. Battering us. Overwhelming us. Pushing us all over the place. And if we’re not anchored, then destruction is only minutes away.
We see this in the life of Jesus and his “anchoring” children.
People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16
When Jesus takes these children into His arms, it’s no cold and insensitive pat on the head or touching their shoulder. Oh no. He brings them close by bending His arms around them. He “anchors” them to Himself. His embrace is made possible because He curves His arms around them[2].
Being Anchored by Jesus
We need to mirror Jesus in the lives of the children around us. While education and knowledge are important, anchoring them in our arms is what they’ll remember. It’s also what we need most. There are four very practical applications for our children and ourselves.
- Jesus anchors us. God could have sent us a list of dos and don’ts, but that would have been cold. He could have sent an angel or some other kind of spirit, but that would have been impersonal. Instead, God personally comes in human form. Uniquely fully God and fully man.
Not only can He personally understand and experience our weaknesses, but we can know Him face to face. Hear His voice. See His tears. Feel His embrace. Jesus is the only One who can hold us steady through the storms of life. We can depend on Him because He never changes. He’s experienced everything we have. Jesus never moves when life’s tough.
But Jesus is so much more than any anchor we use. When Jesus’ anchors us, He uses both arms. Not one. It’s impossible that we’ll slip out of his strong grasp. No way we’ll get lost from Him. Why? Because He does all the connecting and holding. - Jesus adjusts to us. The whole idea of an anchor is that something strong bends. Instead of staying strong and straight, iron is heated and beaten into a new shape. This bend allows it to connect with and stick in the floor of the ocean. Without the bend, the anchor would never hold. The ship would keep drifting, being pushed by the wind, tide, and storm.
When Jesus embraced the children, He bent his arms. He didn’t make them adjust to Him; He adjusted to them. He changed the angle and shape of His arms so that the children would know Him in a deeply personal way. They’d feel His arms and hear the beat of His heart. We only experience this because Jesus opens up His arms and bends them to adjust to us.
Again, Jesus is so much better than any earthly anchor. Yes, the iron is strong for the boat anchor. But Jesus’ strength made the universe and continues to hold it together. We are weak but He is strong. The truth that He adjusts to us makes us want to cling to Him all the more. - Jesus reaches out to us. The whole idea of an anchor is that it reaches out beyond itself. To grab onto the bottom of the ocean, it must have these bent arms that can reach out and stick into the ground.
Jesus was in an eternal, loving relationship with God the Father and God the Spirit. From eternity past, they were giving glory to each other. He had no reason to stop other than to come and rescue us. We had broken our relationship with Him and each other, and there was no way we could put it back together. Only His death on the cross could do that.
God isn’t some impersonal god who’s only interested in our blind obedience to some random list of things. No, He wants a deeply personal, intimate, and completely transparent relationship with us. And there’s nothing He wouldn’t do to make that happen. That’s why He came to bring us back to Himself. - Jesus comforts us. God is not the kind of God who looks down from heaven while we live through all the torment and brokenness of life here on earth. Nor is He so unfeeling that all he can do is pat us on the head and say, “There, there.”
When Jesus anchors Himself to us, He gives all that He is. He draws us into Himself and brings the kind of comfort only our great God and Savior can. Because He made us, He’s uniquely qualified to know exactly what each of us needs.
There’s an old hymn that says it so well.
Tho’ the angry surges roll
On my tempest-driven soul,
I am peaceful, for I know,
Wildly though the winds may blow,
I’ve an anchor safe and sure,
That can evermore endure.
And it holds, my anchor holds:
Blow your wildest, then, O gale,
On my bark so small and frail;
By His grace I shall not fail,
For my anchor holds, my anchor holds. Today is the day to let Jesus anchor you. Let Him pull you close and feel His strong arms around you. He’s ready and willing to anchor you today and throughout all eternity
[1] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=setting+an+anchor+on+a+boat
[2] In case you’re wondering where this idea of Jesus “anchoring” Himself comes from, ἐναγκαλίζομαι – enagkalizomai, is the Greek word for “took the children in His arms”. It’s also used in Mark 9:36 where He “takes the child into His arms.” This root word, ἄγκος – ankos, means to bend or curve. This is where our English word anchor comes from.
Chet’s upcoming book, ServeLife® – How Serving Unlocks Your Purpose walks you through how your life and purpose are just like a stack of pancakes./
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