The day before my father’s funeral last November, I purchased a golden necklace from Sea La Vie whose theme is “It Is Well” which has an anchor and a cross on the chain. I wore it all day on the day we laid his body to rest. The necklace reminded me that it was well with my dad’s soul which comforted me. Because he had chosen to believe in and trust Jesus as his Savior, I will see my dad again one day in heaven becase I am a follower of Christ just like my dad.
I’ve been wearing the necklace and it always settles my heart, even spreading joy and hope to me when I see it. There’s just something that fills my emptiness without my dad which I know is the Holy Spirit of God. I sense God’s presence when my grief overflows from my eyes in tears, when I’m brought back to a core memory from my childhood with my dad and when I remember with fondness the stories and jokes he told. Having the knowledge that he is safe, without pain and in a new body has absolutely given me hope.
As I read Hebrews 6:19 this summer, it has affirmed my hope in God who has not let me go while I’ve been learning to carry the grief of losing my precious dad. The scripture proclaims this:
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and strong. It enters behind the curtain in the Most Holy Place in heaven.” Hebrews 6:19
The writer of Hebrews knew of having hope not in worldly success, in how much he was liked or in his abilities. “This hope” that is mentioned in Hebrews refers to having faith in God who does not change, does not forget me in my grief and does not want me to feel alone. God is with me and has encouraged me in His Word that Jesus is my hope. As I pray and read the Bible, “this hope” appears in the lives of people who were impacted by Jesus. I see their hope and it moves me to not lose hope even on the days when I cry a lot. Because my dad loved me so well and I saw his hope in Jesus, I can also love well and hold on to “this hope” that we both have in Jesus which is sure and strong.
Those words, “sure and strong”, keep replyaing in my mind this summer, even being more strongly defined by what they are not. The oppostie of these words are “unstable and weak”. I recognize that my days of hearing my dad’s voice and hearing about his day will no longer happen in real time, but I’ve also been playing back the many voicemails that he left for me. At first when I heard his voice on a voicemail, my heart felt weak and suddenly I started crying, but previously I had been just fine. I have continued to listen to his voice, and now I feel so grateful to be able to hear his messages. His words at the end of his voicemails, “I love you, Dad” resonate deep in my psyche and hold me up. Again, I’ll see him again and have “this hope” which has calmed my heart and wrapped me up like a comfy blanket.
While on vacation recently, I loved a nautical themed pillow that sat in a chair of a coastal home that we rented. Its creamy background made the blue embroidered letters pop which read, “Home is where the anchor drops.” An embroidered anchor had been woven beside of this catchy quote on the pillow. An anchor holds a boat in place, like we’re held safe when we remember and rehearse the goodness and mercy from God in our lives. When we’re home, we are surrouded by all things that are familiar and that we like such as the chairs, tables, kitchen items, bedding, etc. We are blessed if we have family to love on and serve as a part of the place we call home. We bring our physical bodies back home every day to rest, replenish our bodies and souls and recover from the stress we may experience. The pillow’s creator had it right that we drop our anchor in our homes.
I am glad that my childhood home was a place where I became anchored in Jesus due to my parents’ love for Christ. How I loved during my adult life to visit with my parents and share all that was happening in our lives while also sharing prayer requests. I knew that I was covered in prayer by my parents and welcomed any chance I had to have meaningful conversations with them. They anchored me and pointed me to Jesus who was their anchor and mine. When the waves of life tossed me as if I were in a storm, their words reminded me to trust in God, to look up and not lose hope.
I pray that you’ll see Jesus as the one true anchor for your soul, sure and strong. I’ve been so grateful that I have not been alone to carry my grief, but that the presence of the Holy Spirit has reminded me to think about things that are true, lovely and of a good report which has developed healthy ways of processing my dad’s death. During the past few months I’ve been struck with the theme of Jesus being the anchor for my soul. The anchor/cross themed necklace and pillow combined with “this hope” in Hebrews 6:19 has created a significant, helpful way to process grief and my feelings.
