Anchors and Sails

During our “summer vacation” we were able to spend quality time with our parents, our sisters and their families, some friends, and a few of the churches who support us. Over dinner one off these friends explained that his roots are getting deeper where he lives and then asked us, “What does that look like for you?” 

As I considered this question I realized that our lives have more in common with a sailboat than a tree. Since we got married almost twenty years ago, our location has changed regularly depending on whether we are stocking up with resources for our voyage—for example, getting training of some kind or touching base with those who support us financially—or whether we are unloading resources for the benefit of others, primarily through training or mentoring people who work with teenagers and young adults.

Instead of having roots for stability and nourishment, a sailboat depends on an anchor to hold it firm when needed and on the sails that propel it on its journey. We have a wide variety of people who serve as anchors in our lives. They are models that guide and inspire us and individuals who prevent us from drifting or being carried away in a storm through their prayers and because they know us well enough and are abreast of the issues in our life and work to ask the questions and provide the counsel we need. And we have those who are like sails that propel us into the work we are so privileged to do by their donations, their prayers, and their encouragement. 

We are regularly amazed at the support system we have and we channel our gratitude into prayers for their well being. And we pay it forward by striving to be both anchors and sails for those around us.