Mi Ancla

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When all the world is spinning round,

Like a red balloon way up in the clouds,

And my feet will not stay on the ground, 

You anchor me back down....

...When people pin me as a clown,

You treat me as though I'm wearing a crown

When I lost I feel so very found when

You anchor me back down

The English translation of the  first and third verse of Mindy Gledhill's song, Mi Ancla- or My Anchor.   I recently discovered this song while I was lying in bed for two days, sick with a miserable cold.  I was touched by how innocent and sweet this little love song was, and I've since listened to it many times.  My sisters, too, have fallen in love with her songs, others including All the Pennies and Whole Wide World.

Today in church as I was listening to the sermon, my father the pastor made a comparison between Jesus, the Savior, and an anchor.  Immediately I thought of the song Mi Ancla.

I'm sure many people have heard the analogy of Jesus as the Life Preserver.  When we're drowning in our sins, and the toils and miseries of the world, and simply our own thoughts, Jesus is the One who keeps us afloat, holding us through the storm and bringing us to a save harbor.  When we're desperate for help, at the end our our ropes, Jesus is the one who will carry us through it all, if we only cry out to him.  This is an accurate analogy, and it's one that I'm quite familiar with.

However, I confess that I haven't often thought of Him as an anchor before.  This, too, however, is an accurate analogy.  When ships are threatened with being swept out to sea, or off on the wrong course, they put down their anchors, and are held fast on solid ground.  

Jesus, too, should be our anchors amid all of life's chaotic distractions.  Like the lyrics in the song, he will anchor us back down, when the world is spinning round.  When we cannot keep our feet on the ground, or our heads out of the clouds, he will be there to anchor us back down, where we will stand firm on the solid rock.  And, like in the song, when we are worthy of nothing but condemnation, Jesus sets a crown on our heads, declaring to the world that we are his children.  

All have sinned, and fallen short of the Glory of God.  We deserve to be sent to Hell, and none of us could buy our way to Heaven with our good deeds.  I know that many people cringe at the idea of a supposedly loving God who would send someone to Hell, but the truth is that He is so Holy that it would be an abomination for Him to not send us to Hell.  When a sin is committed, retribution must be made, and there is no getting around that.  Fortunately for us, God loved us so much that He was willing to give up His only Son to pay for our sins.  Jesus offered Himself as a willing sacrifice, taking our place in death and in Hell so that we could be covered by his Grace and find life in Heaven.  That is why even though we are unworthy and impure, He can treat us as though we wear crowns.  

Many people ask why so many horrible things happen to us.  They can't understand why they must suffer the hardships that have befallen them.  I have lived a sheltered life, and when I have spoken to them, the tell me that I wouldn't understand.  I haven't been through the terrible times that they have, so I wouldn't know what it's like to question whether God is there.  Why would He allow such misery to happen in the world?

I can tell you right now that they're right- I haven't been through much hardship, and I don't have an answer for them.  I don't know why God allows hardship in our lives, and I'm sure the reason is different every time. But what I do know is this; even in our darkest hour, when we stand balancing on treacherous path, with precipices on either side, God is there, holding us, even if we can't see or feel Him.  From where He is, there is a different perspective; He sees the whole plan, the whole road, from beginning to end, and when the time comes, if we have faith in Him, we will look back and see his hand in our lives.

When all the world is spinning 'round, with troubles, anxieties, pleasures, hopes, and dreams; When we simply cannot keep our feet on the ground, God is always there to anchor us back down.  

And that is why Jesus will always and forever be...

Mi Ancla.

-Rayne Speryll