Anchor Your Soul

REFLECTION  by Pastor Donna Battle

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God;  my hope comes from God. Truly God is my rock and my salvation; God is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”   Psalm 62:5-6

Beyond the social and political chaos of our times, most of us can feel an escalating panic continuing to rise in our world. The question our elders would ask in their wise rhetorical fashion, “what is the world coming to?” seems to manifest in real time around us and within us. New variants of loss, rage, or injustice consistently rear their heads in ways that taunt our commitment to both imagine and work to make the world more as it should be. The collective chaos of the times feeds us experiences and emotions that pull us from ourselves. We fight for external peace, but internal peace is often elusive or constantly unstable.  Anger rises when we want to be calm, fear rises when we need to be secure, and confusion rises when wisdom is what we seek.  The energy of the times creeps into our families, our colleagues, our places of worship, and yes, our souls.  The soul, which is the will, mind, and emotions, most often finds peace in the practice of peace.  Peace in this context is pulled from the Greek word eirēnē (eye-ray-nay), meaning the gift of wholeness or integrity of being.  It is to return fully to oneself and re-tether yourself to the anchor that holds you steady. The anchor that secures you internally no matter what outrageous chaos swarms externally.  It is a return to the places where it’s safe to fall apart and vent, doubt and question, and dance amid the pain. When we take the time to reconnect with our anchor, we are able to see that our need for God never changes.  There are simply times when we are more aware of that need than others.  The psalmist makes a declaration that serves as an affirmation and testimony to the truth. We can rest where God is.  The hope fed to us not only reminds us that our work is not in vain but it like us, is fortified by God.  This is who we are.  This is our place of peace. We can then sing along with the late Douglas Miller, “my soul has been anchored in the Lord.”

Miller, D. (1995). My soul has been anchored in the Lord. [Recorded by performer D. Miller].     On title of Unspeakable Joy.

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