Tag: lighthouse

encouragement, hope, Stress, Trust God

Navigating Life’s Storms with God’s Word

The Kedge Anchor

Lighthouse #2

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, Ponce Inlet Florida

I have a confession… I shared these posts in the wrong order. 🤦🏻‍♀️

But maybe that’s fitting because we are all still learning and growing. Sometimes even our little mistakes can remind us to slow down, give ourselves grace, and remember that God is still working, even in the imperfect moments.

When was the last time a situation came into your life that you weren’t expecting? Maybe you saw it coming and didn’t know how to stop it. Maybe it was completely out of your control, and there was nothing you could do to change the outcome.

Have you been there?

I know I have.

When storms come into our lives, our first instinct is often to look at the waves instead of looking for the light. We focus on what is happening around us instead of turning toward the One who is steady and faithful.

Part of the story how The Kedge Anchor got its name. Look for the short story on my social media pages,FB and IG

We see this with Peter when he stepped out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. As long as his eyes were on Jesus, he was able to do what seemed impossible. But when he noticed the wind and the waves around him, fear began to take over.

How often do we do the same thing?

We focus on the circumstances around us, the things we cannot control, and all the “what ifs” that fill our minds.

But Jesus is still there, calling us to keep our eyes on Him and to anchor ourselves in Him.

God never asked us to navigate life’s storms alone. He has given us His Word, a light to guide us when we cannot see the way ahead.

God tells us not to worry and to trust Him. And yet, in our humanness, we still worry.

I know I have caught myself getting caught up in a situation, worrying and fretting about things I cannot control. But when I finally stop, take a breath, and turn my attention back to God, that is when I can hear His still, small voice calling me back to Him.

Matthew 6:25 reminds us:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…”

And in Matthew 6:34, Jesus reminds us not to worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own concerns.

God’s Word contains what we need to walk through the storms this life brings our way.

 Psalms 136 remind us of God’s faithful love endures forever. 

Proverbs reminds us:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3:5-6

And the Gospel reminds us of God’s unconditional love for us through Jesus – John 3:16.

I love the promise found in Matthew 28:20:

“teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” (AMP). Perpetually. On every occasion. To the end of the age!!!  I love that!!!

Because when a storm hits, our faithful Father should be the first One we turn to.

So today, where are your eyes focused? Are you looking at the waves, or are you looking toward the Light?

art

Interpretations

The Kedge Anchor

Art speaks to me. It can convey a feeling, an emotion be it happy or sad or a concept. It adds beauty and color to my surroundings. It can motivate me. But what speaks to me more is God’s word, the Bible. It adds more color and beauty than art. It shapes me, encourages me, leads me to knowledge of God and His ways.

There are many ways to interpret a painting or a piece of art. For example, a few years ago in an art history class I was taking, the teacher asked us to interpret a piece of art. It was a black and white checkerboard similar to the one pictured here. I remember exactly what it looked like. It was square with the black and white squares on the right and as the eye moved across the image, the black squares began to fade, becoming grayer and eventually white. I don’t remember the artist, barley remember the textbook it was in.

(colourbox.com)

So as I saw it, the black and white squares represented time and as the color began to fade, it was marking the passage of time. I don’t remember what the other student’s interpretations were, I just remember getting an “A.” Now that doesn’t mean I was right. There were other perspectives my fellow students had. There was no right or wrong way to interpret that piece of art.

However, the Bible has only one interpretation but many applications. The Gospel has one interpretation; Jesus came to die for us sinners, rose again on the third day, conquering death and saving us from eternal separation from God. We have to choose Him, we have to recognize our need for Him to save us. There are many words that can be used to convey salvation. But adding to God’s word, Deuteronomy 4:2 or His plan of salvation or to take away anything to make it fit our beliefs, is wrong. You can speak the Gospel with different words that mean the same thing but the meaning is still the same. And yet scripture, with one interpretation can be applied to many areas of our lives.

For example, James 1:9 , “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” – KJV.

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ” – NKJV

Two different versions saying the same thing. Digging deeper into the original Greek can help understanding this passage even more. The message is pretty clear, listen first, be slow to respond, don’t get angry so quickly, keep your mouth closed until the other person is finished speaking. And this passage can be applied to so many situations in our lives; in a marriage, communication is a big part of any relationship, parents, siblings, families. It can be applied to the workplace with your boss and co-workers. Anywhere there is talking between two people this verse has application. Get all the information first before you react or respond.

When it comes to scripture it’s important to understand, the who, what, why, where, how of who wrote it, what is the message God is speaking. Like communicating with others, God is communicating with us through His word. So out of respect to the men, authors who penned the books of the Bible we need to be objective when studying scripture and try to understand what the author, the prophet or apostle, ultimately God, is trying to communicate to us. Once we have the meaning we can apply it to many areas of our lives.

Now the artist who painted the simple black and white checker board only he or she knows what he or she was intending to communicate. With art we have the liberty to interpret it anyway we want, it can have any meaning we want. But, with scripture we have a responsibility to read and interpret it the way God intended.

Is there a piece of art that speaks to you? One that stirs your soul, strikes an emotions stirs up a memory? I love this image of the wave engulfing and crashing on the lighthouse. Imagine for a minute, being inside that lighthouse.

Image: Mathieu Rivrin/Solent News

What does it look like, sound like, feel like? The lighthouse is Jesus. The water, waves are life crashing around me. But I am safe inside the lighthouse, safe in the One who is in charge of those waves crashing on me. (“Even the winds and waves obey Him.” Matthew 8:23-27)

Is there a verse in the Bible that encourages you, comforts you, corrects you? Hebrews 6:19 – keeps me anchored in Hope. Comment what pieces of art speak to you, what are your favorite verses that speak to you, comfort you, encourage or correct you.