Anchored

What keeps us secure when the storms rage around us?

Jan 18, 2026

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Hello, sweet friends. Welcome to my favorite little corner of the internet. I am so grateful that you are here with me, and I hope your new year is off to a good start. I think I may have mentioned before that I am not really a “New Years Resolution” kind of girl. I mean, I certainly do love the idea of a fresh new calendar, a clean slate, and the hope that comes with pondering how God will move in this new year.

With that said, instead of making resolutions, I (along with several friends of mine) choose a specific word that we want to focus on for the year. I love this because it gives me the opportunity to really zero in on how I want to see God work in my life. It becomes a word that I pray over regularly and intentionally look, or strive, for as I proceed throughout the year.

This year, the word I have chosen is “Anchored” and I can’t help but smile when I think about it. You know why? Because that was not the word I thought would be “my word” for 2026. I had settled on a different word entirely when “Anchored” came splashing in, at literally the last second, totally rocking my proverbial boat.

But here is what I love about this word… I have always had this little weird fascination with anchors. ⚓️ I’ve always found them to be a bit captivating for some reason. I am not entirely sure why because they are not usually pretty. There is nothing about them that would normally catch my attention. They are really heavy, kind of sharp, and often dirty. However, as I have aged, they have become an emblem that I simply adore. I find them incredibly beautiful, which I realize may sound a little silly. However, maybe if you hang with me a few minutes, you will find yourself intrigued with them as well…

When I see an anchor, I cannot help but smile to myself a little bit, because I seem to always get lost in thought… In my mind, anchors have this magical power that transports me to the turquoise waters of the sea. I find myself caught up daydreaming about the soothing waves that rock the boat from side to side, while the gentle breeze blows on my sun kissed skin, and the smell of sunscreen and salt permeate the air of my imagination. So, yes, anchors fascinate me. I simply love them and the image that they bring to my mind! ⚓️

However, anchors also are a very real and tangible part of my life, at least in the summertime. No, not because I am a sailor or a pirate, but because I happen to live on a lake. I also have a daughter that I am completely convinced is part minnow. A couple of years ago, for her birthday, I got her a water trampoline with a slide and all the things so cleverly designed to wear her tail out (pun intended!). This trampoline requires an anchor to be attached to it, or the wind will blow it, and my daughter, straight out to sea (possibly learned this the hard way. Smh!).

Now, I realize it is January and I don’t plan to be tossing any anchors for several more months. However, for whatever reason, this week has felt a little extra heavy for me. I have felt a little extra weight on my shoulders trying to drag me down. My mind has just been a little extra messy, and my strength to fight the constant current of life seems to be a little depleted. Maybe you can relate?

Anyway, when I sat down to try to write this article, my word for the year, “Anchored”, has taken center stage in my mind. I hope you will just lean back, get comfortable, and relax a little with me as we talk about the anchors of life…

I have a feeling that most of us are all probably familiar with the popular Bible verse from Hebrews that states,

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19

Now, I do, indeed, love this verse and have it hanging on my wall. I am actually looking at it while I type (well, not really, because my typing skills are more of the hunt-and-peck variety 🙄, so I tend to be looking at the keyboard more than anything else…but it is hanging above me, promise). Anyway, this idea of hope being the anchor we need for our souls to be forever connected to Jesus is so beautiful and comforting to me. I hope it is to you as well. However, as I have been sitting with this word and thinking about what it means to be anchored to something, a pretty common-sense realization hit me…

Anchors only work when they hit the bottom.

For example, if you just toss an anchor overboard there is no guarantee that it will hold you and your boat in place. Therefore, there are a few things important things to know in order to properly secure your vessel. If any of these things fail, then there is a good chance that the winds and waves will still drag your boat wherever the current leads. This could be problematic because we live in a very wild, windy, and wavy world. So, here are some things that we all need to know about our anchors…

1️⃣The anchor must have a rope connected to it that is long enough to allow it to reach whatever depth is needed to hit the bottom (…I mean, duh… but apparently lots of people ask that because when I googled the anchor terminology that I needed for the next part (remember I’m not a sailor) that popped up as a common question. So, I thought I would just clarify for us all).

2️⃣This rope, that we all now agree must be long enough to reach bottom, also must be secured to the vessel and the anchor with the appropriate knots. Having the proper knots is critical in the anchor tossing process. If the knots come undone then you will most certainly find yourself drifting out to sea, while your anchor rests sweetly on the bottom.

3️⃣Just because the anchor hits the bottom does not mean that it will automatically help your vessel withstand the winds and the waves of life. If it just simply rests on top of the bottom floor, the boat will still likely move with the current, just probably not quite as quickly.

4️⃣**In order for your anchor to properly secure your vessel against the current, you must “set” the anchor. That means, you must give the tethered rope a nice hard tug which causes the anchor to pierce the bottom, become partially buried, and have the tension to withstand the obstacles on the surface.

So… I mentioned a few moments ago that anchors only work when they hit the bottom. However, I want to clarify something that may sometimes get twisted in our minds…

Jesus is not the anchor. Hope is.

Jesus is not this big, awkward, heavy, object with sharp ends just trying to weigh us down into the dark, cold depths of the sea, and not allow us to come up for air. Quite the opposite is true, actually… Jesus is the one waiting at the bottom to catch our anchors, hold us close, and provide the firm and secure safety we need to successfully ride the storms of life. 🩷

Just because we have an anchor that is securely tethered to Jesus Christ does not mean that we won’t be rocked by the waves of life. It does not mean that we won’t face harsh winds that will try to turn our vessel in the wrong direction. It does not mean that we won’t drift a little off course from time to time.

Honestly, if we simply throw our anchor overboard (claim Jesus as our King) and then don’t do anything else to “set” it into place, we cannot be shocked when we look up and realize we are nowhere near where we thought we were. The winds, waves, and currents of this world are trying to rock our boats and pull our anchors.

So… yes, maybe we are tethered to Jesus, but He is the firm and secure bottom that we have to “set” our anchors within, in order to have hope of overcoming the obstacles of life.

I would like to pause to ask you this… When the weather changes… the wind picks up… the waves start crashing… the current starts pulling… What are we using to bury our anchors and provide stability? Depending on what we choose to “set” our anchors in will depend on how securely we ride out the storms that we face.

Are we going to let the waters of worry and old wounds whisk us away?

Will we drift away through doubt, disobedience, depression, and disappointment?

Can the currents of culture, criticism, and comparison crush us?

Will the rushing waves of war, racism, politics, and social media uproot our anchors and send us out to sea?

I don’t have all of the answers, because we all have our own vessel that we are trying to secure. All of our storms look a little bit different. Some of us probably are in little kayaks or canoes and that means that it is super scary when the sky turns dark and the winds pick up. Meanwhile, some of us may have house boats, cabin cruisers, or possibly even a yacht. Regardless, the size and structure of our vessels won’t matter if the waves get too big, the currents get too strong, and the winds become too harsh.

I don’t know what your vessel looks like or even how deep the water is for you… But what I do know is that we all must be able to toss our anchor overboard, trust the knots, and “set” it securely into the depths of Jesus. We must bury our anchor in His love, in His grace, and in His mercy if we want to have the hope of surviving the storms of life. Guys, the “setting” is the key to stability. It is in that process that we will find the strength needed to keep us secure as we face the storms of this life.

I would like to take a second to just remind all of us that Jesus is most definitely not afraid of a burial. He already knows exactly how to handle that specific dark and dirty situation. We know He holds the keys to death, hell, and the tomb. So, trust me, He can handle a little bit of the mud needed to firmly “set” our anchors in Him.

Matter of fact, I believe that the burial of our anchor is the part that Jesus likes the most. It is through the dark, muddy mess that His strength can be on full display as He holds our ships steady through the storms.

So, let’s pause for some reflection… what have you been buried in? What has had you tied up in knots? Because I know that the winds howl, the waves rock, and the current tugs… When the obstacles of life try to send you out to sea, what will keep you secure? Where will you drop and “set” your anchor? Who can you count on to be with you in your boat?

After some time spent reflecting on my own anchor, here is what I have realized…

I have spent some time in my life floating carelessly on top of my vessel, working on my suntan, and unknowingly drifting off course. I also have enjoyed the cool breeze and rocking of the boat without realizing that this was preceding a storm ...

And, unfortunately, I have also been completely blindsided by vicious waves that I never even saw coming. Waves that almost took me out. Tsunami like waves that crashed right into my body, my heart, and my mind… waves that, honestly, I am still trying to recover from.

I have been knocked around a few times by life. I am sure we all have. But I also continue to knock my own self around as I try to stabilize the aftermath. Memories of trauma still rolls through my mind and keeps me from feeling worthy of so many things… Feelings of inadequacy and disappointment both try to untie my knots... Insecurities tend to keep me tethered to fear…

However, I have never felt more securely tethered to Jesus than when I have hit the bottom. When times have been the darkest and I have been buried in the muddy mess of the world… When the waves have been so incredibly rough, and I was unsure how I was going to manage to survive another day… When catching my breath has felt almost impossible because the storms of my mind just continue rolling… When the current has been trying to drag me unwillingly out to sea…

That is when I have felt the tug of Jesus on my rope more clearly than ever. I can say with confidence that Jesus has truly been clutching my anchor tightly to His chest. And it is through tears that I can admit to you now, that without His pull, without His strength, without His unwavering love, without His patience, and without His grace… I would not be here now to try to help throw you a rope.

Anchors… ⚓️ … they are captivating to me… they have a calming effect on my soul, even in the midst of chaos… and they keep me grounded in Jesus. But friends, I would like to remind all of us that we can’t always captain our ships well by ourselves. It is okay to lean on others for help when the storms rage around us. I pray that we can be Christ-like anchors in each other’s lives as well… Holding each other firm and secure when we feel buried under life’s blows... Trusting each other to lend a rope… Catching each other when the current gets strong… Helping each other “set” our anchors into the arms of Jesus and riding out the waves together. Xoxo Megan🩷

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