Anchored

Have you ever noticed and wondered about the anchor in front of the main office? It was a gift from the class of 2018 when we built the Harbor building. At the time, we were in the early stages of our campus renovations and decided to go with a nautical theme. The students wanted a gift that would outlast them. One of our parents was a ship’s captain, and he was able to get a retired anchor for us.

When we opened the new building and installed the anchor out front in August 2018, we had no idea that would be the last “normal” school year for a while. Our world was turned upside down just over a year later with the COVID pandemic, and we are still in recovery mode in many ways. In the midst of the pandemic, many of us felt lost, alone, anxious, and insecure. We didn’t know what to expect or what “the end of the pandemic” looked like. There was so much news and fake news that we didn’t know what to trust in. It felt like everything we knew was upended and nothing was secure.

In moments like these, we all need an anchor. The anchor is what keeps a ship grounded in a storm. During the pandemic, those who fared the best seemed to be those who had an anchor in their lives that was not subject to the storms around them. An anchor stays permanent, strong, and foundational.

Isaiah 26:4 says, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” I believe that God is the strongest anchor we can hold on to. He will not change or move. This belief became very real to me during the pandemic when almost everything in my world felt out of control. God’s promises reminded me that, even though I didn’t have any control, He still did. That truth helped me through all of the ups and downs.

As we hopefully move into calmer waters, we still need an anchor that won’t change. I encourage you to talk to your kids about the anchors in their lives. What can they always count on? Realistically, what will never change? Being confident and secure in these anchors will help kids as they deal with the many transitions that a new school year brings.