1. fasten (something) securely in a particular place or position.
2. decide or settle on (a specific price, date, course of action, etc.)
Well friends, 2022 has been a bumpy road so far… We ended the year with a funeral, I was then sick for 6 weeks, and in the middle of that time, I realized I needed a root canal. We experienced another major loss in our family, and our family from Georgia that came up for the funeral had car trouble that stranded them at my in laws’ home for 3 weeks, which meant taking advantage of cousin time and my 8th grader getting very minimal school work done. Of course, he wouldn’t complain about that! The root canal ended up being 3 appointments over a 3 week period ordeal (with lots of discomfort in between) and wow, it’s mid April and I feel like I’ve been in this bubble of chaos while the world just kept moving along!
There have been LOTS of silver linings and wonderful time spent with family and good memories made so far this year, but I can completely understand how easy it would be to slip into a pity party or even depression when the waves of life, especially loss and illness, just keep coming. It can be hard to catch your breath and if it goes on long enough, you might wonder what you’re fighting for, why not just give up and let go.
If you can fix your eyes on that shoreline, that place of rest, it gives you hope… and not just some wishful thinking or day dream, but hope in the way that the Bible defines it, a confident expectation.
Hebrews 6:13-19
13 For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:
14 “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.”[c]
15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.
16 Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. 17 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. 18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.