Anchors Away!

Hi friends! I hope your doing well! I am really excited about what I am going to share today. God showed me something that really got me right in the heartstrings this week. I pray that this blesses your day and also reminds you that, while He is our Savior, Father, and Creator, He is also our friend.

“For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all. And this great love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends.”- John 15:13

“You show that you are My intimate friends when you obey all that I command you. I have never called you servants, because a master doesn’t confide in his servants, and servants don’t always understand what the master is doing. But I call you most intimate and cherished friends, for I reveal to you everything that I’ve heard from My Father.”- John 15:14-15

It was Sunday early evening, and I was getting ready to hop on the bike for my daily endurance ride. I have to laugh a little typing that. It sounds like I’m so professional now. ”My endurance ride”.... Far from it, friends. Far from it! Haha! I love doing these because during this kind of ride, I just ride at a pace that I can hold for a long period of time. I sweat a lot, but I can like, you know, breathe and talk during this type of ride. It’s not nearly as intense as doing the cycling classes that really push me to my limits! They are intense, but also very rewarding. Afterward, at least!

So, I had finally published part 2 of ”Junk in the Trunk”, and now it was up to God to show me when and what I’d start working on for this week. I said a prayer and asked God to speak to me whenever He was ready. I’d be waiting to hear from Him when it was time. I had written down several topics to write about over the last few weeks. I carry a notebook with me in my purse at all times. I just never know when or how He will speak to me, but it always seems to be in the most unexpected places!

I got my AirPods, and got all set up on my bike. It seems like when I’m on the bike, my attention is more focused and I’m more able to receive input. I love to find sermons on YouTube to watch while I ride, or listen to audiobooks, and sometimes music. On this particular day, I planned on listening to music, and then watching a Priscilla Shirer video for the last 30 minutes. Y’all I love Priscilla Shirer, by the way! So, I hopped on the bike and started my ride. I was about twenty minutes in when I got this vision and heard God say, ”Bethany, you’re not even sitting at their table.” The vision I saw was a cafeteria, like the ones inside of school buildings. I saw myself sitting at this table, but I was leaning over trying to hear all of the words being said by the people at the table next to me. I very distinctively remember acknowledging that He didn’t come sit with me at my table, but He brought me to sit with Him at His table. It was glorified. It was an honor to sit with Him at His table, and as He was speaking to me, I was busy trying to take in what those people next to me were saying. I wanted to know what they were saying about me. And somehow, I found myself, sitting at the table with my Savior, wanting to feed me, and I was going hungry worrying about what others were thinking about me.

I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this, now. But before I go there, I want to explain why this was so gut-wrenching for me. If you read ”Junk in the Trunk” and part 2 of it, you may remember me talking about how nerve wrecking this has been for me, to invite others to share in this site. I have wrestled with the insecurity stemming from my childhood, being told that I’d never make it as a writer because only one in a million would be good enough to make it a career. Now that I have pressed past that fear of failure to actually listen to the calling that I know in my soul has come from God, I’ve made the decision that this is not about a ”career”. This is about a ”calling”, and God can use this any way that He wants to.

“And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it: that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.” -2 Corinthians 8:10-11

So, after a couple of weeks, I invited just a few family members to check it out, and just a few friends. My friends showered me with love and support. That hasn’t been the case with some of the family members, and for some reason, I am still struggling to be okay with that. Nobody said anything negative. In fact, it was the silence that spoke all the hurt into my heart. It was the fact that some of them didn’t even take the time to actually read a post. It was the fact that some didn’t respond to me at all. I know this was nothing melicious on their part. I know that they’d never hurt me intentionally. I know that they don’t even know that I’m wrestling with all of these thoughts right now. But I can’t help but keep wondering if they think I am too ”Bethany” to ever do anything meaningful. Maybe they can only see me as the sum total of all the mistakes I made when I was just entering adulthood. The more I spiral into these thoughts that flood my mind every opportunity they are given, the more I begin to discredit myself. What could I possibly offer? Friends, in honesty, I am still wrestling with this. I am still scared to ”put this out there” because I don’t feel worthy, and I’m scared others will think the same thing. Thankfully, our Savior is patient and so kind.

“So, what does all this mean? If God has determined to stand with us, tell me, who then could ever stand against us? -Romans 8:31

This is why this vision was so incredibly rousing to me. He wants to show me that He can hear what my heart is silently weeping. He wants to remind me that though I may feel rejected by others, He is not ashamed of me. He calls me in love. He sees the greatness that He has placed inside of me. He is proud to call me His daughter, and His friend. He brought me, as unworthy as I am, to sit at His Glory table. He wants to nourish my soul, not simply my flesh, but my soul. He wants me. And you know what? He says that, as imperfect as I may be, I’d make a fine vessel to flow through and work through. That is enough.

“So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are His lovers who have been called to fulfill His designed purpose.”- Romans 8:28

It’s funny because I titled this one ”Anchors Away”, and I actually wrote this down in my notebook a couple weeks ago. I didn’t know where I was going with it, but I knew it was going to be important. I knew as soon as I saw that vision on Sunday that this was it’s purpose. What holds you down? What are you anchored to?

If you’re like me, you are probably saying, ”well I’m definitely anchored to God.” But I wonder, what else? Are you anchored to the thoughts and opinions of your friends? Family members? How about your own feelings?

Here is the problem: If you are allowing the weight of all these other people and things to be your guide, then you will not be able to go to the places that God is calling you to go. You will drown in the pressures of trying to fulfill expectations that are not even a part of your purpose.

“You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.”- 1 Corinthians 7:23

This is so relevant for me right now. I am so worried about why certain people didn’t seem to care about this site that I am so passionate about, that it hinders me. I am so weighed down by my past failures that it cripples every step forward. Why can’t I just give myself some of the grace that I so willingly give to other people? Isn’t that funny? We don’t appreciate the way it feels when others around us hurt us. But I’d bet a pretty penny that we are far more harsh to ourselves than those people. We must remember in these moments that we are the clay. We are not the potter.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before-hand that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:10

How can we possibly critique the Creator of the Universe? He does not make mistakes. He smiled and marveled at His masterpiece, breathed His very breath of life into it, and declared it good. And so it is. No matter what the world says. No matter what we may see. He sees us in the beauty of His glory, not our own. We need to learn to see ourselves through His eyes, and not ours.

“Having determined our destiny ahead of time, He called us to Himself and transferred His perfect righteousness to everyone He called. And those who possess His perfect righteousness He co-glorified with His Son.”- Romans 8:30

I feel like it’s really hard to express love to myself. It kind of feels a bit arrogant or prideful. For some reason, I really struggle with it. I always have. I’ve always been able to point out my flaws with no problem at all, though! That comes naturally to me. Why is this the case? I mean, don’t get me wrong, there is a fine line between loving ourselves, and being self-consumed. What I have learned is to love myself through my love for God. I love myself because I am His. I love myself because He lives inside of me. My confidence is in Him alone. I am learning to love myself as an expression of gratitude and praise to the One who made me. Friends, it’s not always easy, but I so encourage you to work on this.

“His love broke open the way, and He brought me into a beautiful, broad place. He rescued me-because His delight is in me.”- Psalm 18:19

All of those negative things that you think about yourself, or your works, let them go. They are taking up precious space that God wants to fill with His treasures.

“For God has proved His love by giving us His greatest treasure, the gift of His Son. And since God freely offered Him up as the sacrifice for us all, He certainly won’t withhold from us anything else He has to give.”- Romans 8:32

He wants to take you places, friends, greater than your imagination could even take you. But if you are anchored to things that do not come from God, then you are going to stay stuck. You won’t be able to go where God is trying to take you. Aren’t you just a little curious to find out what God says you can do?

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” - Ephesians 3: 20-21

Anchors away, friends! Let it all go. Surrender your will to be conformed to His. I promise you that His is better! I have found that out the hard way. Anchor yourself to God. Only God. Love your spouse through God. Love your children through God. Love yourself through God. Love your neighbors and friends through God. Do your work through God. Whatever it is, do it through God. Honor Him in everything that you do, and then be ready to Soar!

”Could there be any other god like Yahweh? For there is not a more secure foundation than You. God, You have wrapped me in power and made my way perfect. Through You I ascend to the highest peaks to stand strong and secure in You.” - Psalm 18:31-33

Dear Heavenly Father,

Oh, You are so good to us. We can come to you and trade our failures for Your glory. How can you love us so deeply when we fall so short. How is it possible that Your love never changes? We ask you right now, Father, to examine us, even in the most hidden, secret places, and remove anything that does not come from You. We don’t want anything to hinder our walk with You, so we ask You right now, Father, to release us from the things that are weighing us down. Anchor us to You, in every single way. Let us experience the joy, peace, and fullness of Your complete salvation. We love you so, so much, Lord!

In Jesus’ Precious Name, we pray. Amen.

Be Blessed Friends!

-xoxo-

-Bethany Hope