Do you have an anchor?

I received this in an e-mail this morning from Steve Goodier.

"Though I have never seen it, I'm told that the Niagara River has acouple of interesting signs upstream of the famous falls. There is one by the side of the river visible to daredevil boaters that reads,"Do you have an anchor?" Then just downstream is a second sign tha tsays, "Do you know how to use it?""Do you have an anchor?"

I have found that a solid anchor is indispensable to one who intends to live life fully. To have an anchor is to be centered and well-grounded. It is to have a vitalspiritual base."Do you know how to use it?" For no amount of faith is enough if it is not used. We all come to what has been described as the "Red Sea place" in ourlives. That is the place where there is no way back and no way around. We have to go through.You know the places I mean. We find ourselves up against a critical loss, an irreversible setback or a course of action that cannot be changed. There is no way back and no way around. We have to go through.

Even a small ship can weather major storms if it has an anchor. But it is likely to be tossed about and even capsized if the anchor is not used. What will you do when you get to the next "Red Sea place" in yourlife? Do you have an anchor? Do you know how to use it?"

What or who is your anchor? I find mine in my faith in God and Jesus Christ. The last words from an old gospel song speak what I believe.

Though the angry surges roll
On my tempest driven soul,
I am peaceful, for I know,
Wildly though the winds may blow,
I’ve an anchor safe and sure,
That can evermore endure.

Refrain

And it holds, my anchor holds:
Blow your wildest, then, O gale,
On my bark so small and frail;
By His grace I shall not fail,
For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.

Mighty tides about me sweep,
Perils lurk within the deep,
Angry clouds o’ershade the sky,
And the tempest rises high;
Still I stand the tempest’s shock,
For my anchor grips the rock.

Refrain

I can feel the anchor fast
As I meet each sudden blast,
And the cable, though unseen,
Bears the heavy strain between;
Through the storm I safely ride,
Till the turning of the tide.

Refrain

Troubles almost ’whelm the soul;
Griefs like billows o’er me roll;
Tempters seek to lure astray;
Storms obscure the light of day:
But in Christ I can be bold,
I’ve an anchor that shall hold.

Refrain