Our younger children enjoyed it so much that on our way home, they said, “Dad, can you build us a flying fox?”
Now, I’m always up for a challenge and love making things, and the truth be known, even at my age, I love going on a flying fox.
So, we walked around our yard in Lancaster and found the best spot.
We found a great beginning point on a strong tree, but the end anchor point was not a clear option, so I created a steel frame to join the bottom end of the cable to.
The day arrived when it was all ready for action. I started with the lightest child as I was a little unsure if the end anchor was strong enough.
All was good until my 19-year-old went down… you guessed it, the end anchor flexed so much it bent.
My anchor wasn’t strong enough; it let us down.
Why are anchors so important? They are to hold something secure so we can safely use it and know that it won’t let us down.
In the case of a ship, an anchor holds the ship secure in the face of a storm.
It provides peace and safety in the middle of troubled waters.
This makes me think about life. Life can have difficult times and seasons, even without looking for it, we can find ourselves in troubles waters.
It is at these times that we urgently look around for something to hang on to.
What can we trust in? What will hold me steady in this trial, this sickness, this separation, this family crisis?
Many years ago, I went through a separation and divorce. It was by far the most difficult personal issue I had faced.
I discovered that there was something that I could hold on to through this dark time that did not move, it was a solid anchor for me.
This something was a someone. That someone was God.
Through that time, I realised that God is like a solid immovable rock that I could stand on through my trial.
I found out he was trustworthy because he loved me and wanted the best for me.
Words of comfort hit me from the bible and carried me along through the storm.
‘Truly he (God) is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.’ Psalm 62:6 Speaking of the hope we have in God, ‘We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.’
This trust in God got me through, and it can get you through also.
Postscript: The day I’m writing this is the day I’m making a stronger anchor for the flying fox. It will not let us down.
Pastor David Lloyd
Community Church Kyabram
6°C