Why “anchored in joy”?

As you may or may not have noticed, my Instagram name is changing from @mimyandrea to @anchoredinjoy. I want to really encourage women of all ages to be anchored in Joy who is Joy? Jesus Christ is Joy, not the butterfly and rainbows type of joy but the joy that exists through the storm and difficult times. The joy that Paul talks about in the letter Phillipians; Because that’s when we really need to be anchored in Joy, in Truth so that no matter how hard the winds blow  against our lives they cannot take us down. Nothing can prevail when we anchor our souls to Joy, Peace, Hope, Love, and this is all found in Christ. He is all of these things and more! 

Hebrews 6:19 is simply one beautiful verse that came alive to me while reading the book of Hebrews. This one verse completely changed the way I react to difficult times, it pointed me to Jesus like no other verse in the Bible. It says, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,” The book of Hebrews talks about how Jesus is better. Jesus is better than anything and anyone ever before. Why is He better? Because He came to fulfill the law, He came to give us h o p e, being perfect He fulfilled God’s will and served as a living sacrifice for all of our messiness, imperfection, sin, ugliness, flaws, etc. Talk about g r a c e! My heart is full of gratitude when I read about the new covenant that Jesus represents. How He came to make things better, He came to overcome the world. He conquered death by resurrecting on the third day. “Now death where is your sting?” 
As I studied this book this verse stood out to me the most. It says we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. Just this one sentence hits me hard. A sure and steadfast anchor… Jesus is a sure and steadfast anchor. There is nothing in this world that is sure and steadfast. No t h i n g. I promise, no matter where you go, what you anchor yourself to, it will all fail, it is all risky business, it is all failing, it changes, it dies, it is imperfect, nothing in this world is sure and steadfast. When we anchor ourselves to anything other than Jesus believing we can live out our purpose we are anchored to faux-anchors.

Friends?As soon as you get yourself in real problems most of your friends walk away and want nothing to do with you. Money? Money is the root of all evil, anchor yourself in money and it will leave you empty, tired, unsatisfied. Alcohol, Drugs, Addictions? Please, we all know and we can see that these are just temporary agents to dull our lives, the hurt doesn’t go away after a night out, there is only regret. The pain doesn’t go away after the hangover, the pain comes back and even worse than before. The dependence of these substances only make you a slave, but I thought you strive for freedom and independence? Family? Don’t get me wrong I absolutely wholeheartedly LOVE my family but they are not my anchors, they are human like myself and we all fail; putting my hopes and expectations on human beings would be foolish. And I speak as a single girl on this: marriage? The idea of love? Dating? All faux anchors! 

God did not create us to find fulfillment and happiness in a partner, He created us for relationship yes, but this doesn’t mean that if I don’t get married at a certain age, or if I don’t have a boyfriend my value decreases or increases. My value doesn’t change depending on worldly things; my value is based on how high the price God paid for me, that He sent His only son to die for me. That’s my value and worth. So again, putting my hope in a human being is only setting myself up for deception and unnecessary pain. 

I listed a few of the things that this world has to offer, when we anchor ourselves to these ideas or things we end up lonely, hurt, depressed, and unsatisfied. Because all else fails but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is a sure and steadfast anchor, He came in human form as Jesus to overcome the world and give us h o p e.

He is my anchor and He can be yours too. When things fail, when everyone turns your back on you and the money runs low, He is there, He listens, He cares, and He loves. His love is something you can encounter by seeking Him wholeheartedly. I promise nothing on this earth has made me feel so loved than when I’m in His presence, at His feet, on my knees and He fills my cup. 

What is an anchor? According to Wikipedia “An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. Anchors can either be temporary or permanent. Permanent anchors are used in the creation of a mooring, and are rarely moved; a specialist service is normally needed to move or maintain them.” Now in Hebrews it doesn’t talk about a metal device but God who traded Heaven to have us again and came in the form of a human, who came to make things better, someone who came to give us access to the One and Only True Almighty King. We no longer need to go to a priest to have our requests be made to the Lord. We no longer have to sacrifice animals to give offering. Things changed in the New Testament because we now have Jesus. And He is our anchor, an anchor for the soul. Not a physical anchor that you can throw in the water but an anchor that is for the soul. That goes so deep into your soul that nothing can move it. Life is difficult and following Jesus does not mean we will have it easy. Sometimes following Jesus means things will be harder, people will hate us for His cause, we will often feel like outcasts, like we don’t belong, we will feel lonely and rejected by this world but no matter how hard life wind’s blow against us n o t hi n g can move the anchor of our souls. He is our hope that enters behind the inner curtain and makes a way for us to the father. 

photo by @graceinhisbeauty

When I stopped anchoring myself to faux-anchors and anchored myself in Jesus things changed drastically. I no longer felt like a break up was the end of the world. I felt peace because I knew that the One who holds the universe also holds my life. When I stopped looking for affection and approval from the world and I started to self preach Hebrews 6:19 to my life and really clinging to it, when I started  looking up to Jesus I realized all the answers to my questions were found in Him. 

This is my personal verse right now at 23, and it doesn’t have to be yours but I encourage you to know Christ, and to find your verse. I encourage you to have an intentional relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

Because I have experienced great love I have the courage to encourage YOU because I so strongly believe He can satisfy your soul just like He did with mine.

I long to know Him more, to be like Him, for His will to be done and not mine. I long for Him to increase and for myself to decrease. I want to build His Kingdom and not mine. Because He called me His Beloved, because He gave me an identity, a value, and a worth. My whole life is anchored in Him, and I am confident and secure in Him because I know that He is sure and steadfast. 

Sister, I pray that as you read through these words that you may also want to know Him more, I pray that your life may also be anchored in Him. Because if He is for us then nothing can stand against us. 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for sending your only beautiful and perfect son to die on that cross for us. For all of us, good and bad you covered our shame. You made us heirs of the kingdom, you gave us a name and I am overflowing with gratitude that turns into a desire to want to serve you and live out my life for you loving others, being more like you, and fulfilling your will. And I thank you that no matter how “hard” I could work there is nothing I can do to gain your love and acceptance, I thank you because all you want from me is my heart and nothing else. Thank you because you slowly whisper that we don’t have to do a thing, but just be s t i l l and be with you. And I pray that you touch the lives of those beautiful souls reading this and that your truth may be spoken over their lives in your name, Amen.