Stabilizers and Anchors

 

My husband and I went on a cruise earlier this year.  We both love being out on the ocean and the feeling of freedom that comes with leaving behind all the tasks and stresses of daily life.  One night we had large swells and winds as a storm passed nearby.  While we were a bit off balance at times, I was grateful for the ship’s stabilizers.  We could not see the ship stabilizers as they were beneath the waterline.  But we trusted that these fins on rotors had the capacity to change their angle to counteract and minimize the rolling of the ship caused by the winds.

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The last few months have been difficult.  Both my long time psychiatrist and primary care physician retired.  I always knew they were there to act as stabilizers when I encountered storms in my life.  They were also my anchors at times.  They grounded me when I felt like I was drifting on my own.

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Change is not easy.  Many years ago we visited the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.  I remember the quotation on the wall by the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus.  It said, “Nothing is permanent except change.”  But often change is not easy and it causes us to lose our moorings. 

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With both of my doctors retiring, I am in the process of finding new doctors and other persons who are to step in and help when there is a forecast for a change in the weather.  I am thankful for my husband and a couple trusted friends who I know are there for me.  But I also realize anew the importance of trusting that, though unseen, I have an ever present God who is always there to stabilize and anchor me when I encounter storms in my life.