Skip to main content

Anchor House Week12: Constant

I've gotten almost a week behind on my reflections from Anchor House. It seems there just isn't enough time in the day.  The way these blogs come together is different from week to week.  Some weeks God puts a message clearly on my heart. Others it feels like a struggle to put "pen to paper".  

This week was one of those that I knew exactly what I'd write about. However, each day passed and I missed the opportunity. You see, I write best in the mornings. Not sure if it's the limited distractions, a product of my habit of practicing my spiritual disciplines in the morning, or something else entirely. Most of my afternoon writing is intelligible and requires numerous edits.  In the AM, however, they seem to make more sense.  

What's funny is that as I am writing, I am feeling God moving.  He's moving from what I thought I was to write about to what He wants me to share. These shifts and changes are a part of the shipping industry.  Things happen that modify shipping schedules. Weather may prevent a ship from coming in or leaving port. The cargo may take longer than expected to unload or a load may be cut short because the shipper cancelled an order last second. Trucks may have accidents that block the entrance to the port. There are many variables that modify shopping schedules. 

What's the point? Things change.  Many times they change and we can't do a thing about it. We may feel helpless and as if we are a ship crashing in the waves with no captain. It can be frustrating and terrifying. These changes may impact our plans and what we thought we could do. They may steal our vision for what we thought was ahead. 

Thankfully, there is a place where we can have peace.  There is a choice we can make that changes everything.  There is a choice we can make that will overcome the uncertainty of change. A few weeks ago I wrote about change. I spoke about Jesus being the constant throughout all change. 

When we place our trust in Jesus and decide to follow Him, we decide to strive to join him in being the constant.  That means in the face of the uncertainty of change we are called to be light in the darkness (Matt 5:16). That is a place Anchor House serves.  In the face of uncertainty, we are the constant. We are the calm.  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Anchor House: Week 6 Buried Treasure

When I started at Anchor House I committed to write at least one blog per week. Writing is something I enjoy and a way I get to interact with God. I can recall wanting to write about Anchor House in the days before I started, but my knowledge was limited..  To be honest I felt like I knew three things before I joined Anchor House. First,  Anchor House was a mission at Port Manatee (the Seaport, not the jail) Second, I knew it was a mission that my church, Westside Christian Church, supported with our Show Love funds.  Third, I knew God was calling me to serve Him there. However, what happened at Anchor House day to day was something of a mystery to me.   After being here for a few weeks I have learned quite a bit. I know where to look to find out when ships are coming in or departing.  I have learned that I am just tall enough to hit my head where most seafarers don’t. I have learned that flexibility is the key to serving at a seaport. One of th...

Anchor House Week 10: I Love It

This past week was week 10 at Anchor House. When I run into friends who I used to work with at State College of Florida or friends I haven't seen in a while, the first question is, "How do you like it?" I typically reply, "I love it." This week I've been challenged about that answer. It just won't do. It is too generic of an answer to truly describe what I am experiencing. It's too simple to describe the blessing of God working through you. It is too plain to explain the feeling of knowing you are right where God has planned for you to be.  I always thought I had purpose in my career. I know we are to worship God through the work He has provided for us to do. At times, however, the work I previously did seemed mundane and lacking purpose. I felt like I could do God's work where I was, but I had this feeling as if there was something more.  A week or so ago I was with one of our partner churches sharing how God works through Anchor H...

Anchor House Week 4: Strawberries

This week I had the chance to come through on a promise I made to one of our regular ships. When they were in port last we were hanging out in the break room with the crew. Somehow we got on the subject of strawberries, Florida strawberries of course. I made the bold statement that Florida strawberries were the best. Trish followed up by clarifying that Plant City’s are the best. She had a point that is hard to argue with. In the discussion, I told the seafarer that I would bring them some strawberries next time they were at Port Manatee. Sure enough the next time they were in port I ran to Detweillers, first thing in the morning, and picked up a half of a flat of some of the most beautiful strawberries you've ever seen. They were big, red, perfectly placed in the container in a neat and orderly fashion. They looked magnificent. As we approached the ship, the seafarer whom I had made the promise to waved and said, “You remembered!” After we boarded the ship, we t...