Whenever my husband returned after his first deployment in 2005, Hurricane Katrina raged, devastating the area of southeastern America. Thus, his unit was required to return to the Norfolk area located in Virginia. As you might expect, we traveled to the base at Little Creek where reintegration would commence. Let me pause here to say that while (the) leaving for any military family can be devastating, reintegration for a family can be difficult beyond what the civilian might imagine. Yet I will leave that topic for another day. Instead, the return of my husband’s Seabee unit to Norfolk will be the focus of this writing.

Norfolk, VA houses the mighty vessels of war necessary for military might. The harbor sits filled with numerous ships, all anchored to a single dock. Many mornings and evenings, during the return of my husband’s unit, we would walk the dock, gazing at the massively large seagoing vessels anchored. That sight remains fixed in my mind as I read the words of the biblical text, The Letter to the Hebrews.

Anchors are essential for all boats of all sizes, even mighty warships. As we walked along the dock, we could see the massive steel anchors hanging from the right bow, reminding us how they stood ready to slash down into the seawater. With speed, the anchors could plunge deeply to the bottom of the sea and take hold of the ocean’s floor, securing the ship.

One Anchor, for “it is impossible for God to lie, . . .”

One Hold, for “we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”

One Unchangeableness, for ”This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast . . .”

• Our HOPE anchors us in life, and without Christ as our anchor, we would drift off course.
• Our HOPE remains steadfast, always ready to intercede to the Father when we pray.
• Our HOPE sustains us through the difficult times and challenging seasons.
• Our HOPE—CHRIST JESUS—connects us to the presence of God, both now and in the future to come.

Therefore: