Anchors…Away

By Nan Corbitt Allen

Hebrews 6:18-19 “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

Yeah, I know the Navy song is spelled “Anchors Aweigh,” but I had an experience lately where my title works best here.

Last week I went fly fishing on the Bitter Root River in Montana while I was visiting my best childhood friend. The company that took us loaded our group into two inflatable boats and each raft had an experienced guide who not only navigated the river but gave instructions on how to catch the most fish. Apparently, I had the best guide because he led me to many rainbow and cutthroat trout (10 in all) that varied in size. (But I don’t want to brag.) Of course, this time of year it was catch and release, so I had to take pictures to prove my angling prowess.

Anyway, each boat had its own anchor that, when we were stopped, was dropped to keep us from floating aimlessly downstream. About halfway down the river, however, the other boatman announced that he had lost his anchor somewhere. He didn’t know how or when, but when we stopped for lunch, he pulled up the rope that was once attached to the anchor and there was nothing at the other end. So, he tied up to a tree on the bank and went back upstream to see if he could locate it. (It was shallow water so it couldn’t have plunged into the abyss.) As far as I know, he didn’t locate it that day. 

In December 2025 I lost my anchor, my husband of 50+ years. He died suddenly from a stroke. He had left some documents on his computer with insurance information and passwords, so, thank God I didn’t have a meltdown when I tried to settle policies and change names on deeds, registrations and paperwork. I know for a fact that he is in heaven now and I’ll see him again. I even told him on his deathbed to “save me a place…maybe somewhere on the water.”

I realized in the following days how much of an anchor he was to my life. He often would keep me from drifting aimlessly into dangerous waters. He had a calming effect when I hit whirlpools that could topple me. He often kept me from panicking and rocking the boat that would spill me onto a rocky path. I could always ask what he thought of an idea and could count on him and his wisdom to keep me grounded. I depended on him for so much. Too much.

In this experience I realized that the writer of Hebrews was referring to another anchor. The True Anchor…One who would not fail, who would not fall asleep in the middle of a movie…who would not die. My anchor had been too secured to a mere, yet wonderful, human being and not affixed to the eternal King of kings. In the coming days I will begin tying up to that One True Anchor so that I won’t waft away with ever-changing tides that will come.

God’s promises are completely trustworthy because His character never changes and He cannot fail. In a world of uncertainty, the hope I have in Christ must be a firm and secure anchor so I can stand firmly through every storm.