Jesus Is Better
As a kid, I used to love playing in the ocean while my mom napped with her toes in the sand. I didn’t enjoy the boredom of the shore. I liked the adventure of the water. My favorite activity was floating on a raft in the section of water right before the wave’s breaking point. As a kid, I’d pretend to be the captain of my own neon-green inflatable ship. I adored the sensation of weightlessly floating above the rocking sea waves. Each gentle wave would pick me up and let me down like I being rocked to sleep. It was the epitome of peace.
One Summer afternoon, my peace was interrupted by panic. “Wait, where is my mom?” I gasped while looking at the shoreline of Carolina Beach. My mother’s bright blue chair had vanished from the sandy shore. As a matter of fact, all my surroundings were completely different. She was camped out right next to the fishing pier, but that huge pier now looked as tiny as a toy off in the distance. I paddled to shore and discovered that I had drifted over half a mile away from the safety of my family’s spot on the beach.
Small currents made me drift away from safety. it could have been way worse. Can you imagine? Instead of drifting down the shoreline, I could have been washed out to sea to serve as a shark snack. I didn’t notice the currents pulling me away before I was far gone.
There are currents trying to pull you away from safety too. These currents can look like addiction, distraction, sin, peer pressure, greed, or jealousy. They’re subtle until you find yourself half a mile down the shoreline in a panic.
Your first step away from God is always a small one. That is why Hebrews teaches that “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (6:16). You protect yourself from drifting by casting out an anchor. As Christians, hope in Jesus is our anchor. Jesus can anchor your soul, so you won’t drift away from God.
Cast out an anchor in your life. Constantly remind yourself of the hope you have in Jesus — sealed in his death and secured by His resurrection. When the water of life gets rough, let your hope in Jesus anchor your soul.