There are hard days. Not every day is filled with miraculous God moments or crazy adventures, sometimes I miss home, people get on my nerves, or I just have an off day. Living with the same people for the last 4+ months, the ‘honeymoon’ stage has worn off, and reality is here. The glamour of being on a trip has gone away and life has completely set in.
The other night I was talking to my host and her daughter and they asked me how I was doing. I immediately responded with the usual “I’m good!”. They saw right through it. In the moment, I didn’t even realize that I wasn’t “good”. But nonetheless, my host came and gave me the biggest mom hug, full of so much love. I broke down. I hadn’t realized how much frustration and heaviness I was carrying until she hugged me. She sat and listened to me lay down my frustrations, she validated my feelings, and then turned me right back to God. She prayed over me and gave me another hug.
During my devotion time this morning I was reading in Hebrews. I came across Hebrews 6:19-20. A verse that I have heard over and over my whole life. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf…” Looking at this verse through fresh eyes, the meaning completely changed for me. When ships are nearing the port in rough seas, a small boat would carry the anchor from the ship to the pier. The anchor would hold the ship steady or allow it to inch its way safely into port. In the same way, Jesus acts as our anchor. He entered first, He holds us steady in rough seas, and He leads us into God’s presence.
Sometimes it takes someone else pointing out that you’re not alright for you to realize it for yourself. Someone just being willing to sit and listen or give a much-needed hug. It’s not easy to admit that things are hard. I wish I could say that every day is full of rainbows and butterflies. But in the hard days, in the frustrations, there is still hope for tomorrow. Hope that the one who goes before me, is holding me secure. There will always be challenges, things that suck, but the cool thing is that the battle has already been won. Challenges get to be looked at with hindsight. The winner is already known, the seas will be calmed. I find so much rest knowing that my soul is anchored to truth, anchored to the one who goes before me, and anchored to the hope of promises fulfilled.
