Tethered…
November 25, 2018
The boys carried fishing rods to the boat and launched it! Tethered to the Father.
November 25, 2019
I recall watching this series of events unfold as if it were yesterday. I was sitting in front of a window as I saw two very adventurous boys trotting down to the pond, fishing poles in hand and no one to stop them. What I did not anticipate was them climbing into the boat and pushing themselves off shore! I remained seated, debating if I should stop them from their bold adventure or let them be taken to and fro by the ever rising wind. They enjoy so much freedom when we come to the ranch. I always evaluate my motives to stop them when fear seems to be my driving force. This day however, I witnessed the most beautiful and perfect actions of the Father.
While my eyes had been on the boy’s every movement, I had failed to see their father watching from a distance. He loves the independence and freedom our kids feel when they are exploring. He loves the confidence and bold actions of young boys setting off on an adventure of their own. But more than that, He loves being the protective eye and quick hand that anchors and tethers them to a foundation that will not fail.
You see, what I did not know is that their father had already anchored them. Not only that, he had tied an extension of rope to the existing anchor so the boys would feel they were sailing far from shore and experiencing independence.
Ryan watched them from behind a tree. He never left. He watched them struggle to paddle against the wind and fail. He watched them cast into the wind only to have the line come back and get caught on a jacket. He watched them tend to one another as they changed out lures and figured out casting with the wind would be more successful. He watched as the struggle to pull themselves back to shore was too hard and so they sat back and waited.
This was the most impressionable act I was privileged to witness. So often we struggle through life and panic. We try to succeed based on our own knowledge, or worse, try not to fail based on our own fears. We flat out exhaust ourselves to achieve that “secure” feeling in life.
My boys did not panic. They could not get themselves back to the security the shore offered. They tried, with all their might, but failed. They sat back in those chairs they had lugged down to the boat and just waited. I’d like to think they were waiting on their Father but their knowledge of the wind tells me they were merely waiting for it to die down in order to pull themselves to the shore.
They were not surprised however when they felt the gentle and firm pull of their father on that tether. The wind still pulled that boat away from Ryan but it did not stop him from drawing his boys to his side. He did all the work. He used His strength. He expressed His loving and secure hands to bring them back to His side. He got them out of the boat, even grabbed their polls and chairs and carried it all back to the house. Grace. All the work done by the Father, undeserved favor to not only draw us in but carry our load.
Do you panic? Do you rely on your own knowledge and strength in order to feel secure? Do you know that you have a Father who watches you? Do you know He longs to secure you in His grip of grace? Do you know He goes before you and anchors your heart in an everlasting hope? Do you know once tethered to the Father that you can never be cut off from His pursuit? It does not mean you will not struggle and feel tossed by the storms, but it most certainly means that you can trust Him to secure you to a foundation that will not crumble.
Are you tethered to the things of this world that will fade, fray, and fail? It’s so easy to tether to the tangibles. It’s so easy to justify the anchors that seem to provide temporary stability. It’s so very disappointing and discouraging when we realize how lonely it is when those tethers break. I’ve learned there can only be one chord that does not falter and has secured my lot in life. I’ve experienced the loneliness of disappointment because my tethering was loosely bound to good but earthly desires. I’ve also experienced the gentle pulling of the powerful hands of my Father that is always drawing me to His side. There is no greater security for a child, than to know that the Father is always watching and always pursuing; that they are known and tethered to a God that will never fail.
“But The Lord — it is he who will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you, so don’t be afraid or downhearted.”
Deuteronomy 31:8