God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Ps.46:1)
The anchor mindset is that disposition towards making your children to know that when the challenges of life come, they have a God who as an anchor can hold their ship steady in the turbulent sea of life. In other words, life is not always a continuous pleasurable experience, there are periods in which things don’t work out in the expected way. At such times of tribulations in life, many have committed suicide, other have denied their faith just as others abandoned their families. Such a mindset will make you not just to teach but also to demonstrate to them that:
God is ever faithful.
This mindset makes you to inform your children that the only friend who will ever remain faithful in every situation of life is Jesus. Every other friend will desert you at different junctures in life, but He will remain with you until the very end on earth and even in eternity.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.(Is.43:2)
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lam.3:22&23)
Never miss any opportunity through your own personal experiences and that of those around you to teach your children about the faithfulness of God because it will help them to hold on to God as their anchor in the tempest of life.
God can turn hopeless situations around.
Let your children know that there is no situation so hopeless that God cannot turn around if you don’t lose hope as may be seen from the story of king Hezekiah in 2Kg.20:1-6.
God Is Able To Protect His Own.
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. (2Ki.6:15-17)
In the case above, the servant of Elisha was overwhelmed by the presence of enemy soldiers who apparently were there to capture Elijah. However, the servant of the man of God must have learnt one of the greatest lessons of his life when his spiritual eyes were opened and he discovered that the heavenly soldiers with chariots of fire surrounding them were more that the enemy soldiers.
The story will give you an opportunity to let them know that even when you are surrounded by a thick cloud of adversity and it appears as if you won’t be able to successfully get out of the situation, your God is still available to protect you.
God Is Our Final Destination.
This mindset will also make you to teach your children that however long or short we stay here on earth, heaven is our home. (2Cor.4:18) Knowing that God is your final destination goes a long way in determining the depth of your relationship with Him who is your anchor in the turbulent sea of life.
Conclusion.
Just like the anchor in a ship helps to keep it steady in the face of turbulent sea, the word of God may serve as an anchor to stabilize the life of your children when the challenges of life come. However, there is no way that they will be able to possess that anchor if you don’t as a parent have it as you train them.
Dr. Mike Oluniyi.
