February 19thAnchored with Wings
- by Carrie Lehn
This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Hebrews 6:19
The school where I recently completed my Master’s program has a motto that I find particularly compelling: anchored with wings. It’s part of what made me fall in love with the school. The idea that we can be rooted — anchored to something steady and stable — yet still have the ability to explore, be creative, and fly resonates with me. It brings together two essential aspects of my faith, a solid foundation and an openness to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Throughout my life, I felt anchored by many of the tenets of the Anabaptist faith. They have endured through history and now I can live into them as my own. Yet, there are also aspects and interpretations from which I need to create distance. That’s where the wings come in.
The world feels particularly unstable these days, and I often hear the sentiment, “What is happening?!” How can the hope of Christ and the promises of our Creator guide us through these tumultuous times? We need to find what anchors us. Just as a maritime anchor holds a ship steady in turbulent waters, we too must find sources of stability in our personal lives and church communities. At the same time, we cannot allow our need for security to prevent us from exploring new ways of experiencing God, practicing hospitality, and allowing our faith communities to be transformed, renewed, and resurrected.
It is equally important that we, as individuals and as communities, remain both anchored to our foundations and open to following the Holy Spirit into the unknown. We cannot let fear squash our ability to live in the beautiful paradox of stability and flight. To be anchored with wings is to trust in God’s steady presence while embracing the movement of the Spirit — rooted yet ready to soar.
- Carrie Lehn serves as part of the pastoral team at Ottawa Mennonite Church.