Spirit & Trust

As children, my sister and I often took fishing excursions with our father. He loved to take his small boat to the nearby lake to fish for bass, bream, or crappie. He sometimes caught the undesirable catfish, but he loved the serenity of the lake and the ability to commune with nature—especially if we girls kept our code of silence.

One day, he failed to drop his anchor. My sister had become lost in her book, I daydreamed, and my father took a short snooze because the fish were not biting. But a loud thump made us realize we had drifted into a marshy, muddy inlet.

To extricate ourselves and Daddy’s boat, we had to use both oars and muster muscle power we didn’t know we had. When we returned home, we discovered our failure to use the anchor had caused our boat to be caked with mud and marred with scratches that would require much cleaning and repair work.

Charles Martin uses the anchor analogy in his book They Turned the World Upside Down. His purpose is to encourage readers to become more like Christ’s disciples, who devoted themselves to spreading the gospel after His death.

Society has drifted away from God like “a rudderless boat absent its anchor.” We find ourselves lost in muddy waters when we let go of that hope. Our lives can easily drift into dangerous places. We become mired, muddy, scratched, and full of sin. Unless our eyes remain focused on Jesus, our wanderings can cause us to lose the secure footing He provides.

If you have drifted away from God, ask Him to be your anchor so that He can remove the sin and scratches from your life.

It was October, and the weather had started to cool off. The fall season was in full swing, and my attitude was as bright as the orange leaves on the trees. I did not worry as I walked into my doctor’s office for a yearly checkup.

But what I thought would be a routine checkup turned into more appointments and tests. I exited that doctor’s office, fearful and burdened. No longer did I have a bright and bubbly attitude. I was afraid and doubtful. From that moment, it seemed one difficult circumstance after another.

Growing up, my dad always told me to take one thing at a time. During this trying time, I did precisely that. However, I added a step: I thanked the Lord for the blessing He had given to me that day.

Paul did not say to give thanks in just carefree and happy circumstances. He knew about difficult circumstances, and so did the Thessalonian church. Yet they thanked God anyway. First Thessalonians is Paul’s letter to the church, encouraging them to grow and move forward.

Paul’s encouraging words still apply today. We should be steadfast and grow spiritually, no matter the circumstances.

During my trying time, I learned that when I took time to thank God, it distracted me from my circumstances and encouraged me. God is still present even in my struggle. It was encouraging to see that He was aware of my circumstances. Thanking Him for his blessings was an acknowledgment of seeing His hand in my life.

God wants you to thank Him in all circumstances. Recognizing all the blessings He has given you will bring hope and peace to your heart. Stay steadfast and continue your journey in faith. Most importantly, thank God in all circumstances. 

When the first day of autumn appears on the calendar, it always conjures visions of my favorite season. I have great expectations.

I look forward to cool, crisp air, beautiful fall leaf color changes, homemade pumpkin bread, pretty sweaters and scarves, snuggly blankets, and plenty of college football.

Expectations run high as the new season brings a fresh start and a chance to reset. There’s renewed energy and excitement, and our senses are filled with fall fragrances and scented candles. Soon, we smell the aroma of Thanksgiving turkey and dressing baking in the oven.

It’s nice to have lovely things to anticipate. It encourages me and elevates my hopes and dreams.

Prayer is like that. We eagerly seek what God has ahead. We wait to hear a word from Him. Scripture reminds us to pray expectantly that God will work in our lives and situations.

God is our hope. His steadfast lovingkindness is new every morning, not just seasonally. I’ve learned I can rely on Him in my circumstances. Nothing is too complicated for Him to accomplish, so I must dream big. I need to expect the Lord to do great things. He has done so before, and He will again; I can count on it.

Believe that God will work in your life—a new job, home, relationship, finances, or a health treatment plan. Pray with anticipation that He will respond. God’s favor and blessing are just around the corner because He’s already at work.

We love to watch the History Channel. I could have enjoyed American history so much more if my teacher had told us stories instead of facts.

Once, we watched a biography of Daniel Boone. I didn’t know much about him, but I learned he was passionate about the wilderness and finding a path through the mountains to the West. How do you forge a trail through old-growth forest? How do you figure out which way to go to get over the mountains? I’m sure he looked for a straight path because that would have been the easiest.

We, too, look for straight paths. Sometimes we think we can do it alone. What usually happens is that the path is not straight or easy.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. In this beloved verse, God tells us to trust Him, not to rely on ourselves, and to submit to Him. Then He will make our path straight. Sounds easy, but without practice, it is not so easy. When we are in the middle of something, many times our first thought is not to turn to God but to figure the way out on our own.

Daniel Boone was a Christian. In 1816, he wrote, “The religion I have is to love and fear God, believe in Jesus Christ, do all the good to my neighbor and myself that I can, do as little harm as I can help, and trust God’s mercy for the rest.”

I‘m sure Daniel Boone called on God in those scary times in the mountains as he led a group of people to an unknown destination. Unlike Daniel Boone, we know our destination. We have a God who leads and directs us if we ask.

Rest assured that your path will be straight if you ask God to be your guide.

I once wrote a magazine article about a friend and her recent project. She and her patriotic organization were working in a local cemetery cleaning up history—literally. They toured a local cemetery and refurbished grave markers to make them more legible. While there, I browsed among the gravestones.

One stone caught my eye. Since the lettering was visible, I realized it marked the grave of a man who had lived during the nineteenth century. From the dates, I could see he lived to about seventy.

However, another grave was more poignant. It was for an infant–a little boy who lived just one day. Two local persons, probably both with families who grieved their deaths. Now, they were just names carved in stone with no one to mourn them.

We all have memories of deceased loved ones—perhaps even of ancestors we never knew. At one time, they were real persons who left memories to someone. Now, they’re just names carved on a grave marker, forgotten by many.

Yet not with God. Since His memory is perfect and complete, He can’t forget His saints. The psalmist put it well when he called those memories precious, valued, costly, and treasured to God. The Lord remembers all His saints and knows them personally. What else could we expect from a God with a perfect memory? 

Find ways to keep the memories of your loved ones alive.