Words . . . To Be Anchored

When I was a teenager, my cousin and I had gone to the river that ran through her town to hang out on a summer day.  The thing is . . . no one knew where we were or what we were doing . . . because we were supposed to be somewhere else.  We had a great time, swimming and enjoying the day, until we were in too deep and the rushing waters overpowered us.  The swirling, muddy, powerful water would have took our lives except for the man who saw us from the bridge above and saved our lives.  The one thing that I remember is the grip fear had on me when it seemed we would drown.

Fear can overcome us when the stuff of life gets too much, when we feel  we are in too deep, when it seems like nothing will work or no one can save us from it all.  

Consider.  

 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” (Matthew 14:27, NLT)

It was in the dark of the night, in the middle of the sea, when a storm overpowered Jesus' disciples.  It seemed they would drown.  But.  Jesus came to them in their need.  Nothing stopped him from getting to them, not even the sea that separated their boat from Jesus on the land.   Jesus walked on the stormy sea to reach them with words that echo throughout time:

"Don't be afraid.  Take courage I am here." These are the words that anchor us to make it through the day, to face the hard stuff, to have faith that He will get us through the overwhelming moments, even when we feel like we are drowning.  

Don't be afraid.
Take courage.
Jesus is present.

Learning to Kickstart the day with courage, anchored by Christ's promise to be present,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)