“Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.” (Ether 12:4). In order to achieve its intended purpose, an anchor must be swallowed up in the depths of the sea so that it can hook into the solid rock at the bottom and keep the ship from drifting. When we find ourselves in the stormy seas of life, we would prefer that Christ dramatically commands the winds and the waves, “Peace, be still.” Or else, that He bids us to walk side by side with Him across the surface of the water. But sometimes he requires us to cast ourselves into the deep and allow our wills to be swallowed up by His will, so that we may descend all the way to the ocean floor and meet Christ there at the bottom of all of our pain and anguish. Our Hope in Christ is an anchor to our souls because we know with a surety that at the bottom of our most bitter trials is the Rock of our Redeemer. Our hope runs deeper than the depths of our sorrow. Our hope is heavier than the weight of our afflictions. Our hope is stronger than the raging storms, the fierce winds, and the crashing waves. But if we keep our anchor stowed upon the ship, then it will not be able to help us and we’re going to be tossed back and forth and if we are foolish enough to test the strength of the storm too much, our ship may be dashed to pieces altogether. It is an act of faith and supreme humility to face the cold, dark reality of our situation and to admit that we will need the Savior’s help on this one and that the only way to anchor ourselves to His Rock is by going all in and allowing ourselves to be swallowed up, not just to our chest or our neck or the top of our head, but sinking all the way down to the bottom. I know that Christ is waiting for us at the bottom and He will not let us slip away once we have fully reached out to Him and latched onto Him and anchored ourselves in His firm and steadfast and unyielding strength.
