Asleep At The Wheel; Taking Back Control Of Your LifeSample

Life isn’t always easy to live. As a matter of fact, sometimes it’s downright difficult. I’m sure that if you were to reflect over your entire life thus far, you could fill a book with all the headaches and heartaches you’ve experienced. I myself could go on and on with stories of all the low points, struggles, hurt, pain, and grief that life has hit me with.

You may be wondering, how does one go on? How does one find their reason to press through adverse situations of great magnitude and continue living?

Consider a ship at sea. One of the most incredible things about how a ship functions is a certain special device built in—a safety mechanism called an anchor. Anchors are created to drop through the water into the seabed below, hook, and link.

How are anchors relevant to this topic? In life, no one can ever promise you that storms won't come. No one can promise that you won't face extreme grief, that you won't experience the loss of a loved one far before you are prepared or ready. It’s not guaranteed that you will have an abundance of money at your disposal. You don’t know if or when you will encounter financial hardship and wonder how you’re going to make ends meet. No one can assure you that your children won't fall into danger or trouble. They could be bullied, belittled, or otherwise harmed.

No one can promise you that life’s storms won't come and completely rock your world, just as hurricanes and other massive storms rock ships on the ocean. But just like those ships, it is incredibly important for you to be anchored. In the middle of tempests, the anchor keeps the ship grounded so that it doesn’t find itself blown too far off its course or crashed. The beauty of the anchor is this: it doesn't immobilize the ship so securely as to imprison it. It doesn't keep the ship from moving, from feeling the wind and the massive waves crashing into it. It doesn’t prevent any of this. What is does do, however, is protect the ship from being driven away into the abyss for good.

The Scriptures never promised that you wouldn't feel the rains, that you wouldn't feel the storm. That's what makes you human. That's what makes your experience relevant. What the Bible does assure you is that in the midst of your worst storm, you won’t be alone. Sometimes you can’t see through to the other side and you fear for your spiritual or physical safety. You feel anxious, have a nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach, and allow worry to overshadow your mind.

When you find yourself in these dark places, you can take comfort in the fact that you have an anchor. It doesn’t matter if life moves, shakes, and tries to blow you away. It’s okay if it begins to press you a little bit out of your comfort zone, jostling you on your comfortable perch. You can rest assured, take solace, and even find peace in the depths of your heart by knowing that you are anchored. Even though you might feel discomfort, you will not be harmed. You will not blow away, because you are anchored.

There have been countless situations in my life that I should never have made it out of in one piece. Some were problems I should never have gotten myself into in the first place. And some were hardships that people would say it’s not humanly possible to walk away from with a smile on one’s face. The only thing I can tell you is that I have persevered because of whom I'm anchored to. This is the single greatest factor to determining success in your life. If you want to take control of your life, it starts by being anchored to Christ! You want be successful in building a life you want to live? You must be anchored! This is the key to everything in your life. So, are you anchored?

I can't promise you that there will be no bad days after anchoring your life to Christ. What I can promise you, however, is that if you cling to these principles, hang on to these discoveries, and stay committed to the vision God gave you for your life, you will have more good days than bad. You will reach your destination. It's time to truly live and love life. Why, you ask? Because you can!

Vital reflections to discuss or journal about:
What’s one thing that jumped out at you in today’s Devo? What is God is saying to you through it? Say a prayer asking God to help you apply it to your life.