Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

The Steadfast Anchor for our Soul {No Matter What Monday}

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heb 6.19

What is your anchor? When the storms come and the wind throws your small boat up into the air, what keeps it from being tossed so far that it’s destroyed by the waves?

 

When the waves threaten, we need an anchor. Anchors are strong. Anchors are immovable. Anchors provide stability when life around us is turbulent.

 

In Hebrews 6:19, we are given a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul: “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor . . . ”

 

What is this anchor? If we at the context of the chapter, we see this anchor is the unchanging character of God’s promises. Theses promises are sure and steadfast because of the character of the One who makes them: His unwavering faithfulness.

 

What else in your life is unchanging? What else can you cling to that will never fail or waver? I haven’t found anything in my life that is more steadfast than the promises of my Heavenly Father.

 

Our Creator, Redeemer and Lord beckons us to find refuge in Him. He makes these promises and guarantees them with an oath to show us the “unchangeable character of his purpose,” so that “we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us” (verses 17-18).

 

Are your circumstances tossing you haphazardly? Does life feel chaotic or out of control? Find refuge in the Lord. Let his arms wrap around your rocking boat as he lowers the anchor of his steadfast promises.

 

Because the Lord is holding fast to you, you can hold fast to the hope set before you and face the storm ahead.

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Sharing God’s Story ~ Guest post at Over A Cup

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Henley family 2011“I’ll be a little disappointed if this lump isn’t cancer,” I told my husband after returning home from Bible study in October 2010. In that evening’s lesson on Isaiah 12, our teacher exhorted us to glorify God in front of a watching world by trusting him in the midst of suffering. As I scribbled notes furiously, I couldn’t help thinking of the biopsy I had scheduled for later in the week. My faithful Father was preparing me for the outcome by showing me His purpose in suffering: That His name would be glorified by my dependence on Him and continued praise of His character.

Less than a week later, I received a diagnosis of angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer with a five-year survival rate of 30%. I was a busy mom of three young kids—my boys were 6 and 4, and my baby girl was 18 months old. I had expected to grow old with my husband and see my kids grow into adulthood. And suddenly, I was fighting to see my 35th birthday.

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I’m grateful for the opportunity to share the story of God’s faithfulness in my life at Over A Cup today. Click over there to finish reading!

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Why I Shrugged When I Saw My Shattered iPhone Screen

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If the people walking behind me at camp last Saturday were paying attention, they probably thought I was really strange.

 

I was walking to the car with my son after picking him up from his first week at overnight camp.  I had several things in my hands, and I dropped my iPhone on the pavement.  I picked it up and saw that the screen was completely shattered.  I shrugged, showed my son, and quietly said something like, “Oh.  Bummer.”  Then I calmly walked to the car like nothing had happened.

 

If I saw someone respond that way to a broken phone, I’d think they were either extremely easy-going, filthy rich or absolutely insane!

 

Here’s what any campers and parents who noticed the incident didn’t know:  just one week earlier, my cellular service contract had expired.  I was eligible for a phone upgrade at a discounted price, and I had my eye on a new iPhone 6.  The night before, I asked my husband if I could get one, and he said I could!  I planned to go pick one up that very week.  When I saw the broken phone, I thought, “I get my new phone today!”

 

The expectation of a new phone caused me to respond to adversity in an unexpected way.  

 

In a similar way, God’s promises enable His children to respond to suffering in unexpected ways.  Christ’s victory over sin and sickness and sadness and death empowers us to face difficult circumstances without fear and despair.

 

When I was diagnosed with cancer as an almost-34-year-old mom of three young kids, I didn’t shrug my shoulders and say, “Oh, bummer,” and go on like nothing had happened.  I was heartbroken.  I was scared.  But there was also a sense in which I was peaceful.  I knew I could trust God’s plan for my life when my plans had been shattered.

 

I know that God is making all things new and that He will make all things new.  He is currently making all things new as He walks with us through dark times and pours out His grace, comfort and peace.  He is weaving our threads of suffering into a beautiful tapestry for His glory.  And He will make all things new one day when we are with Him in new bodies and a new heaven and a new earth.

 

I am convinced that God’s promises are true.  I am convinced that NOTHING can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).  I praise God that I can cling to Him as my Rock when it feels like my whole world has been shattered (Isaiah 26:3-4).

     

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

     And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 21:3-5

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One Year Ago

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One year ago today, I was a busy and exhausted mom of three young kids.  I had absolutely no interesting medical history, and my idea of physical suffering was vomiting during my otherwise-perfectly-normal pregnancies.  I was consumed with taking care of my kids, preparing to host a baby shower for some friends, starting my Christmas shopping, and balancing my various church and community responsibilities.  It is still strange for me to look back at that version of myself, cruising through life with no way of knowing what was coming.

In the past year, I experienced God’s sustaining power and faithfulness in a new way.  I learned that my family and friends are incredible.  I benefited from the generosity of so many people, both old friends and strangers who became new friends.  I developed a greater appreciation for my husband and children.  I gained a new perspective on being intentional with my time and being thankful for what God has given.  I learned that God can be trusted, even when the outcome isn’t what we would have chosen.  His ways are perfect.

In the past year, I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer that I had never heard of until the doctor called me with the diagnosis.  I flew to Houston twelve times, spending about 14 weeks away from my children.  I received seven rounds of high-dose chemotherapy and twenty-five radiation treatments.  I had surgery (which turned out to be the easiest of all of it).  I had six CT scans and countless blood draws and several transfusions.  I spent weeks with virtually no white blood cells or platelets.  I watched my kids open their birthday gifts via webcam and cried many, many tears.

In short, it was the most difficult year of my life and the most amazing year of my life.

After almost a year of blogging on Caring Bridge, it is good to be back at my old bloggy stomping grounds.  Did I really have a Caring Bridge site?  Did I really have cancer?  It still seems surreal.  But October is bringing back a lot of memories.  The memories can be painful to process, but the overwhelming theme of my reflections on the past year is God’s faithfulness.  He kept His promise to never leave us or forsake us, and we saw that He works all things for our good and for His glory.  Therefore, we can trust Him no matter what the future holds.

Isaiah 43:1b-2:  Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass though the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  

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