Anchored and Dancing

Several months ago, my husband took me on a little overnight getaway to the lake. We stayed in some friends’ lake house, lounged on the dock, kayaked at sunset… It was pretty amazing. Early on Saturday morning, I got up and sat on the dock, enjoying the utter silence and solitude of the morning. As I did so, bobbing on the floating dock and staring into the water, I was struck by the strength of an anchor tied nearby.

At the time, I thought about the strength of that rope. The boat, tied tightly to the dock, was able to move. It bobbed and moved and was even allowed to drift a little. At times, it was quite a good distance from the dock, drifting with the current and the wake of passing motorboats. At other times, though, it moved closer, nestling up to the dock as though there were no slack in the rope at all. The boat was free to move….but never so far that it was on its own.

I think that’s kind of how God is. If we’re grounded in Him, living with His Spirit deep in our hearts, we’re like a boat anchored…moored…tied to a dock. We can only go so far. He’s always there, holding us and drawing us back when we begin to drift. He never holds us so tightly that we can’t live – can’t move or make choices or think for ourselves – but He holds us, nonetheless, so that when He needs to bring us closer, He can. The waves and the current and the wind of life – all of those things in life that try to pull us away – will constantly be at work on us, but with Him as our anchor, we can’t go far. Those things can’t do much to us – can’t pull us very far – if we just stay connected. We are held somehow, and we can feel it. We know it.

What’s more….I think that’s all kind of the way God asks us to be as parents. We have to teach our children about Him, giving them the information and the background and the heritage to keep them grounded as they grow, but we cannot control them. We cannot make decisions for them or treat their lives as our own. We can only give them an anchor – connect them to Him – so that when life moves in and the waves get taller and rougher and scarier, they can grab hold and know that they won’t be taken away. They are held, and they know it.

I was reminded of this idea recently, strangely, while watching “Mary Poppins” with my daughter. She loves the movie, and I love the scene with the chimney sweeps dancing and singing on the rooftops of London. As I watched that song and dance routine, I noticed for the first time how, when fired upon by Admiral Boom’s cannon next door, panic ensued with everyone….but Mary Poppins. The chimney sweeps and the children all hit the deck, running and scrambling for safety. Meanwhile, Mary Poppins barely moves. She stands, posture erect, watching the chaos and hullabaloo with apparent wonderment. Her face almost seems to say, “Whatever is the matter? Everything is going to be just fine. Calm down, all of you.”

And how appropriate! Mary Poppins was used to strange things happening all around her, like hysterical laughter carrying sensible people to the ceiling and children disappearing into sidewalk drawings. She knew that life is characterized by the unexpected and even the scary, but she also knew that her reaction to those things in life will sometimes make little difference… She seemed to know something the others in the scene didn’t know, and her reaction is eye-catching and almost humorous. No panic…no fear…no turmoil. Just calm in the midst of the storm.

I think God wants us to live that way. Drifting, yes, and floating through life, connected to what comes and really experiencing what it is to live…..but never being rocked or taken or swept away. I think, too, that we are to equip our children to live that way. The Lord gives us an anchor – a sure place to hold on when things get bumpy – and we have to introduce our children to that peace.

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. (Proverbs 22:6)

We can drift…we can live…but we can always hold on and come right back.

They can live….they can make mistakes and experience pain….but they have something to hold onto, and can always come back.

And, when the waves get higher and higher, frightening everyone around them and carrying even the most sensible people away, we can all stand firm.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Everything will be fine. There is nothing to worry about. We can all continue to sing and dance, on the rooftops or in the rain, because we know something others might not.

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:23 – 27)

How much more fun would it be, though, if everyone knew? How much more fun would it be if everyone could sing and dance with us, laughing at the storms and fearlessly dodging the attacks?

Something to think about. It’s something that’s challenging me.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:13-15)