The anchor to my Dad’s boat always fascinated me.
It was kind of heavy to a little kid like me, but it didn’t seem that big.
It wasn’t all THAT impressive.
But it could hold our boat relatively still in spite of wind and waves.
That was what fascinated me.
An anchor is a pretty functional and cool thing.
Your family can be an anchor to your kids
The way you teach them.
The way you love them.
The way you pray with them.
The degree to which you are open, honest, and instructive about the way the world works… and how God thinks about it.
The godly wisdom you faithfully impart to them as they grow up in your home.
All those things and thousands more can make your home a place where your children feel anchored, secure, safe.
That kind of anchoring is healthy for kids as they grow up in a volatile, sinful world
It gives them a safe place to try out new things, get feedback, and grow.
It provides a context in which they can learn about themselves without fear of condemnation or ridicule.
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#parenting #christianparenting”]It demonstrates to our kids that God is their true anchor.[/tweetthis]That He’ll never leave them or forsake them, that their soul is permanently anchored in Him.
That’s a security every child needs and every good parent wants to provide.
It’s my prayer that you’re doing your utmost to provide that kind of environment in your family.
But there comes a time when a child shouldn’t be anchored to their home
The “rock star” photo with their little sis and crazy cousin!
When is that?
It’s the season I find myself in right now.
I’ve got two grown daughters – one almost 19, the other 21. They’re headed out into life.
Maybe for the final time.
They’ll be working at different camps for the summer. One of them already has plans for school after that. The other has already been on a trip across the world (Zambia).
It’s an exciting time. But also a scary time (for them and for us).
The temptation for them could be to stay anchored to our home. After all, it’s been one of their main sources of security for most of their life.
That would be natural and healthy if they were 5, or 8, or 15 years old.
But they’re not.
They’re adults and need to go out and face the life God has planned for them.
The don’t need to be anchored at home anymore. They need to pick up the anchor we’ve given them and take it with them.
It’s that anchor of Godly wisdom.
Their own faith, genuine and real.
The security that comes from the truth, rightly taught and applied to their lives, over years of their growing up in our home.
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#christianparenting #parenting”]I’m seeing that the real anchor for my kids is not our home.[/tweetthis]It’s the relationship with Jesus they’ve developed while they lived in our home.
Now it’s time for a new chapter.
It’s time for them to be “shot from the bow” – sent out into the world.
It’s a beautiful thing. And I’m happy for it.
by 
So very true in all you say, you can head an arrow toward a target (life) and when your fingers leave the string it is on it’t way. Been there and done that two times!! Praying with and for you and your family.