For the Joy: Chapter 5

 

FOR THE JOY

CHAPTER 5

Anchor

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil. Heb. 6:19

In the fall of 2018, my daughter made the shocking announcement that she had enlisted in the Marines. She was over the moon. We were shellshocked. She had committed herself to this incredible path for her life, and I was happy for her. But the marines? I couldn’t imagine my girl fighting alongside a band of the roughest, toughest people she would ever encounter.

When her lease ended, she and her dogs moved out of their apartment and back into our house. For the next few months, she worked full-time, exercised endlessly, and set her sights on shipping out to boot camp in the spring. I knew God’s plans would prevail, but I was more than a little nervous about sending my 20-year-old daughter across the country and releasing her to the drill sergeants.

I tried to change her mind. Marines were trained like modern day Spartans. They were stripped of every luxury and indulgence, and trained to be lean, mean fighting machines. My efforts worked against me. They only fueld her determination to prove that she could do it.

Our days together were getting short. When we found out that Novo Amor was performing in Kansas City, we were elated. It would be the grand send off. They were scheduled to play in a small venue, which made for an intimate concert setting. Their music is a dreamy melodic mix of melancholy and lyrical genius. We would not be disappointed.

Kennedy rode with us and Jasmine met us downtown when she got off work. We were the first ones in line, standing in the cold until the doors opened. When they finally let us in, the room was practically empty. There were hardly chairs and only a few tables. I chose a high-top table with four stools near the stage. Kennedy explained that most people would stand during the show, so the venue kept tables to a minimum in order to pack more people in. I had no intention of standing the whole time, so I grabbed the table and filled all the seats with our stuff until we were ready to sit.

As people crowded in, I was less intimidated than I expected to be. Dale and I were possibly oldest people in the room. The rest were kids that just wanted to scream and jump around and drink. My girls made obnoxious barricades to keep the beer tippers out of our personal space, but by the time Novo Amor and Ed Tullet took the stage, it was impossible. People were so close to each other that if anyone tried to dance around, they sent a wave of people stumbling to keep their balance.

The opening bars were captivating. A tapestry of sound resonated off the walls in perfect balance. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced. I just wanted to close my eyes and take in the music will all of my senses. I waited half the night my song, the one I knew all the word to. When it started, it was quiet and slow, just like how I had heard it so many times before. I closed my eyes. The sound washed over me in waves, churning and spinning, rising and falling like the ocean. I was completely absorbed when that incredible bridge came crashing down.

Anchor up to me, love

Anchor up to me, love

Anchor up to me, love

That’s when tears came rolling down my cheeks. Right in the middle of the current of fear that I was desperately trying to escape, I could hear Jesus calling. Letting her go felt like we were throwing to the wolves, but I could see Him beckoning me to anchor myself to Him. He was singing our song, and it wrecked me right there in the middle of a bunch of half-drunk college kids. Right in the middle of the swirling toppling waves, Jesus was calling to me.

“Trust me with this, I have her. I know the plans I have for her, plans to prosper her. I will give her a future. Anchor your heart to mine; you can trust Me with her.”

Anchor up to me

My love, my love, my love…*

When I began to pray over this book, God brought me to Hebrews as a launching pad. Every morning I read one chapter, and when I got to the end, I started over again. The first few times through I didn’t catch it. But when I finally did, I was captured. I read these words and I was transported back to the night Jesus called me to anchor up to Him. Jesus, our hope of glory, the anchor for our souls. Firm and secure.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:10

 

*Anchor by Novo Amor