You Can’t Hide Who You Are 3 – Core Values
You may be thinking: “Why is there a picture of an anchor?” Many times, we think anchors are bad things. They hold us down, keep us in one spot, don’t let us wander around. Anchors are a necessary part of any boat voyage. We may wonder why that is, at least we will wonder until a storm hits or we get to our favorite fishing hole. Anchors keep us in our place and can do amazing things to save us.
When we think of our character an anchor is something, we can all depend on. The anchor of our character and soul are the core values that anchor our lives. Core values are principles you live by that enable you to take a moral stand. These values anchor us down so that we can be sure of where we stand and where will take our stand.
I have thought about a lot of things in my life. Until I talked to the kids at our youth center about an anchor, did I ever stop to think about my own core values. Now, you don’t have to think about what they are. They are shown by your everyday interactions and decisions. That is the part that is tough. If you just watch a person for a while and their values will show. They keep us grounded or they ground us at least.
Our core values are at the heart of everything we do. We cannot escape the damage they can do if they are anchored in the wrong things. When we anchor our lives in good things we are solid. It is when we drop our anchor in sandy soil we end up in trouble. We will drift along until we happen to hit something that anchors us. I think it would be better if we anchored ourselves in the things we choose, instead of what we happen to hit.
When I thought about what my anchors have been during my life I began to really wonder if I lived them out. An anchor is only worth something if it holds you steady in a storm. I encourage you to take some time and figure out what your anchors will be in your life. I’m going to list my anchors, not so they are a definitive list of anchors, but just my list. I hope it will spark something in you to find your anchors.
Kindness is the first anchor I have thrown in my life. My great-grandmother was the kindest person I’ve ever known. When we would visit her she would talk with me about always being kind. Now, she was a tough lady. Divorced her husband in the paper in New Mexico and raised her kids on her own. Lost a son in World War 2, but was kind. Always a positive thing to say and told me to always look for the good in everyone I met. She showed me that kindness is the greatest gift you can give to anyone. Plus it doesn’t cost you a thing to be kind. When God defined love it was the second word he used. Kindness is love with words and actions. Kindness is just, being kind. The power to hold your words when needed or stopping to help someone who needs help is the purest picture of kindness. Kindness is what I decided to be known for more than anything.
Truth is the second core value that I want to anchor my soul on. The Bible talks about telling the truth with love. That is why kindness is first, then truth. It is amazing how much better I receive the truthful words of a friend when I know they actually give a crap about me. If truth is shared with good intentions and kindness or love then we can receive it with an open heart. If you speak truth with an attitude it will be received with just as much if not more attitude. But, most of all I will look for the truth find the truth and live by truth in every situation. It can be tough to tell the truth when friends and people you want to impress are involved in the conversation. But, if we stick with the truth we have a solid anchor that will hold us.
Grace is the third anchor of my life. Grace is forgiveness that went to work that day. Grace means that I do not expect others to be any more perfect than I can be at any moment. Grace means I will forgive even if no one asks me to forgive. I am going to need grace every day of my life, because I am human. So is everyone I meet. I know you have a story about how someone screwed you over, we all do. Grace is a blessing paid in advance to people who may never know they received it. That is the deal about grace. It is unmerited favor that we get from someone in our lives. I just know that I want to be ahead on the grace meter with the people around me.
My sort of final anchor is to love like Jesus. To be honest it is the anchor that anchors the rest of the anchors. Way too many anchors in that sentence, but you get what I mean. If I anchor every choice in the love that Jesus showed then I will treat each person I meet with respect, honor and love. I read the stories of Jesus not for theology, but for relationship. My question is not What Would Jesus Do, but What Did Jesus Do? He loved first and above everything else. The first verse I memorized from the Bible was John 3:16: “For God so loved…” are the first words I attributed to the Bible. I’ve always thought about love first and letting my love have feet and hands by how I treat and react to others. I will love others above everything else.
Anchors, they hold us in spot. But, I think about a verse from the Proverbs 10:25: “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” Why do anchors matter? They are what will determine how we do in the storms of our lives. My anchors hold me in place when the storms come into my life. What are your anchors? How do they hold you?