Is Something Holding Us Back?
In a nautical sense, an anchor is designed to stop a ship from moving. Its purpose is to stop a boat from drifting with the tide or current or being pushed around by the wind and waves and potentially running aground. An anchor is a crucial safety device. In the same way, we all have, and need, anchors in life that keep us secure and grounded in difficult times. These might include things like the support of family and friends, money in the bank, our core beliefs, and so on.
But an anchor can also function in another way, as a hindrance or obstacle to moving forward. It can be something that holds us back and stops us from getting to where we want or need to go. We all have those as well. Negative anchors can be our fears and uncertainties, our lack of self-confidence, our emotional baggage. And interestingly, our negative anchors might actually be the things we think are positive anchors. For example, we think that financial security is something that will set us free from fear and help us weather the storms of life. But we can be so frightened of losing our wealth and commit so much effort to protecting it that this actually holds us back from a better life. Not being able to let go of something is slavery, not freedom.
Wealth can be a good thing because it opens up all sorts of opportunities for doing good, but it can have the opposite effect. A wealthy young man once asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18). After a period of discussion, Jesus said to him, “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy” (Luke 18:22-23). Jesus was not saying that this man would be saved by giving away his wealth, but rather was putting his finger on the thing in this man’s life that held him captive. This young man was controlled by his wealth, and he couldn’t let go. Wealth can give us a false sense of success and security. With enough dollars in the bank, we feel that we’ve got a solid anchor to keep us safe through the storms of life, and so we have no need for God. But that anchor will not hold. Not only will it not keep us safe, but it also distracts us from grabbing hold of the genuine lifeline held out by Jesus.
All of that poses the question, what are the things we rely on for safety and security in life and are they really the good things we think they are. Maybe they’re the holding us back rather than freeing us to chase after the things that really matter.
Neil Percival
But an anchor can also function in another way, as a hindrance or obstacle to moving forward. It can be something that holds us back and stops us from getting to where we want or need to go. We all have those as well. Negative anchors can be our fears and uncertainties, our lack of self-confidence, our emotional baggage. And interestingly, our negative anchors might actually be the things we think are positive anchors. For example, we think that financial security is something that will set us free from fear and help us weather the storms of life. But we can be so frightened of losing our wealth and commit so much effort to protecting it that this actually holds us back from a better life. Not being able to let go of something is slavery, not freedom.
Wealth can be a good thing because it opens up all sorts of opportunities for doing good, but it can have the opposite effect. A wealthy young man once asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18). After a period of discussion, Jesus said to him, “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy” (Luke 18:22-23). Jesus was not saying that this man would be saved by giving away his wealth, but rather was putting his finger on the thing in this man’s life that held him captive. This young man was controlled by his wealth, and he couldn’t let go. Wealth can give us a false sense of success and security. With enough dollars in the bank, we feel that we’ve got a solid anchor to keep us safe through the storms of life, and so we have no need for God. But that anchor will not hold. Not only will it not keep us safe, but it also distracts us from grabbing hold of the genuine lifeline held out by Jesus.
All of that poses the question, what are the things we rely on for safety and security in life and are they really the good things we think they are. Maybe they’re the holding us back rather than freeing us to chase after the things that really matter.
Neil Percival