The definition of an anchor (according to my friends at Merriam-Webster) includes “a reliable or principal support” and “something that serves to hold an object firmly.”
As I get older and experience new things in life, I am consistently reminded of what the anchors are in my life. When I travel, I sometimes forget those anchors and get caught up in wherever I am and whatever I’m doing. It’s easy to not be a very good communicator (although that works both ways) and to fall under the category of “out of sight, out of mind.” So maybe this preoccupied, obsessed, or nagging feeling is God’s way of reminding me that no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I am still anchored at home. And I need to remember that.
I contrast this with the concept of sails. Sails take you places. They are meant to propel you toward your destination. A sailboat cannot get anywhere without sails. But it also needs an anchor, right? To stay in the same place when it needs to or when it wants to?
I miss being home. I love to travel, but I miss having more time at home. I miss cooking in my kitchen, walking to check my mail, snuggling up with the fat cat on the couch to watch continual episodes of Iron Chef on the DVR, and having my life here. At home. And Houston IS home, despite what my obscene amount of Continental airline miles and Marriott points would try to prove otherwise. My sails are certainly worn and weathered!
In this time of almost homesickness, I am reminded of the anchors that I have at home. And that is why I wear an anchor pendant around my neck – the base being a cross and the complete iconic picture of the anchor being everything else in my life that keeps me grounded. You see, without God, and my family, and my friends, and the consistency and normalcy at home, I wouldn’t enjoy traveling so much. If I didn’t have a life here to come home to, going away wouldn’t be the same. That may sound strange, but the excitement of a trip is partly a result of the fact that you get to come home at some point, right?
I’m not ready to give up my sails. I want to keep going places and seeing things. I want to continue traveling to different parts of the world and sharing experiences with friends who are willing to come along for the ride. I want more stamps in my passport, and not for the sake of a stamp, but for the sake of experiencing different cultures and having an adventure.
A book that I recently started reading actually brought up this exact concept. That’s when I knew that it wasn’t just a cheesy revelation that I had, but a real and true obstacle in life that I needed to address. The statement that caught my attention most in the book was this: “Someone who had always wanted to soar with the eagles found himself with fresh appreciation for the steady plodding of the turtle. In a life-redirecting way I came to understand that I needed an anchor as well as a sail.” So soaring eagle to steady plodding turtle?
Was the fact that I happened to be thinking about anchors and sails at the same time I started reading this book a coincidence? Oh goodness, I think not. This is just how our God works. He is making this a conviction of mine. To remain anchored at home and with the people and familiarities that make me who I am, while still trying to be adventurous and free-spirited. To soar like an eagle, while being a slow, deliberately grounded turtle at the same time. To have roots and wings. And to understand that without a comfortable place to land or be anchored, flying away or putting up the sails just isn’t as appealing.
I think it’s okay to have an anchor and a sail. But I don’t want one without the other.
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