More From April McIntyre

One of my early-childhood memories is of my mother dashing around the house doing her daily dusting and polishing. As she cleaned, she would often sing a medley of choruses from her own early years of attending a Methodist Sunday school, running each little song into the next.

I remember her singing "Will Your Anchor Hold" by Priscilla Jane Owens. She seemed so happy as she sang, and I enjoyed the mysterious words and picturing rolling waves and towering rocks in my mind. There was something strong and comforting about the feeling of being anchored. Later, as a teenager, I met Jesus Christ for myself and began to realize that this man, who was truly God, was the real anchor. He would hold me secure — not just at church but every minute — throughout the ups and downs of life.

Much later I came across another, more modern anchor song: “Faithful One” by Brian Doerksen. It became very important to me — particularly in dark times of ill health, bereavement, and loneliness — with its reminder: “All through the storm / Your love is the anchor.”

When everything else seems to fail us, we can hold onto our Savior and his love and faithfulness — for he became one of us. Jesus knows what it is to be human: to hurt, to weep, to be overwhelmed by anger or compassion. He understands. But his love, which took him to the cross and beyond, is bigger and more wonderful than anything we can know. We may experience storms, losses, and fears in our lives, but Jesus is with us. He was with us the day my husband, Mike, fell and bumped his head at the optician’s office. Jesus is faithful, and he won’t let us go.

In Revelations of Divine Love, Julian of Norwich wrote (many centuries ago): “[God] did not say, ‘You shall not be tempest-tossed, you shall not be work-weary, you shall not be discomforted.’ But he said, ‘You shall not be overcome.’”

May you be blessed, anchored in Jesus Christ, our risen Savior, and filled with the peace and presence of the Holy Spirit.