Though I have never seen it, I'm told that the Niagara River has a couple of interesting signs upstream of the famous falls. There is one by the side of the river visible to daredevil boaters that reads, "Do you have an anchor?" Then just downstream is a second sign that says, "Do you know how to use it?"
"Do you have an anchor?" I have found that a solid anchor is indispensable to one who intends to live life fully. To have an anchor is to be centered and well grounded. It is to have a vital spiritual base.
"Do you know how to use it?" For no amount of faith is enough if it is not used.
We all come to what has been described as the "Red Sea place" in our lives. That is the place where there is no way back and no way around. We have to go through.
You know the places I mean ... we find ourselves up against a critical loss, an irreversible setback or a course of action that cannot be changed. There is no way back and no way around. We have to go through.
Even a small ship can venture into deep waters and weather major storms if it has an anchor. But it is likely to be tossed about and even capsized if the anchor is not used.
I like those questions: Do you have an anchor? And...do you know how to use it?
It won’t be long before I come to another “Red Sea place” in my life. I can count on it. But there's one thing I know -- if I use my anchor, I’ll come through all right.
-- Steve Goodier
Image: Freeimage.com/Dragan Sasicv
