Tethered and Anchored

The real deal. The messy. The plot twist. The good, but hard. All phrases I use to describe this season of life. A dear friend of ours who has experience raising kids in a blended family often shares that during a period of his life when he was asked how he was doing he would respond with “the only thing that is consistent in my life is that my life is inconsistent.” Yep. I feel that.

Several weeks ago a question was asked – what are you tethered and anchored to? The question was posed with the analogy of surviving the waves of today’s culture. I would also throw in the sea of changing schedules, the pre-teen and teen storms, the unexpected turbulence of family, health, and work. You get it. I have to be tethered and anchored to something bigger than me and a solution that works no matter what. For me, it’s God and recovery.

Earlier this month I found myself in some sort of conflict with each of our four kids. Laundry, dirty dishes, losing stuff, and expectations. I was physically and emotionally exhausted. I found myself going to God over and over again to ask for help. A sweet friend of mine reminds me to pray and ask God to make up the difference when I fall short. Here’s where recovery also comes in. I’ve been taught to look at my part in every situation. And the humble reminder: progress, not perfection. One thing we are focusing on in our home is owning our part, admitting when we’re wrong, and apologizing when we’ve made a mistake or hurt someone. Since we’re human beings and living in beautiful chaos we get to practice, practice, practice.

The last thing I will share is most mornings before we leave the house, and before meals we hold hands and pray together. We take turns (or are gently encouraged) to pray from the heart. Expressing gratitude, asking for guidance to love and serve others, and requesting God keep those on our prayer list in His loving care. These are vulnerable moments, some of us are shy, and we aren’t all in the same place in our spiritual journey. But these are the quiet moments in our home that I cherish, and I believe it helps our family stay tethered and anchored.

Hebrews 6:19 NIV

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.