Be Anchored - Musings on Being and Doing

Colossians 3:2 – “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Too often I get tangled up in the process of defining and then dissecting the “things” in this familiar verse: earthly and heavenly. I obsess about what I’m to focus on (specifically), and what not (specifically) – then beat myself up for plowing through a day, or several days, or a week, while “things” like organic roasting chickens, armies of paint brushes, do-or-die weeds in the lake that threaten to take over in the wake of my negligence, emails and more emails, and editing and writing projects (as much as I love ‘em) breathe down my neck like dragons to the exclusion of equal time spent seeking and talking with God. This (human condition) bugs me.

At first glance the Colossians reference seems to fit with Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” However, the verbs in these two passages don’t quite match. The Philippians verse says to “think about” (virtuous things), while the one in Colossians says to “set” (your mind). Could this be yet another opportunity to consider the difference between what it means to BE (“be in a set position”) and DO (“think”)?

Both being (passive verb) and doing (active verb) show up in Romans 12:2 – “Do not CONFORM (active) any longer to the pattern of this world, but BE (passive) transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Anyway, I’ve been chewing on the word “set,” and considering other words that could be synonymous. Maybe “confirm” or “establish.” I think another Bible version uses “fix” instead of “set.” But personally I like “anchor.”

“Anchor your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

That doesn’t mean earthly things won’t rise to the top and spit in your face, claw for attention, and even knock you down with their brute force. (Ah, you see, sometimes those non-organic roasting chickens get a little bit aggressive, like the feisty old roosters in our hen house who came at you, feet/talons first.) It does mean that in the midst of going about daily stuff, our souls must be anchored in deeper, ultimately more secure places.

This also fits with a favorite verse from Hebrews 6:19: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

I just decided to do a little skim-the-surface research on anchors. A grapnel anchor is a light anchor for small boats. A mooring anchor holds a buoy or channel marker in place. A mushroom anchor digs in however it falls and is used for semi-permanent moorings. And a sheet or waist anchor is a spare anchor used in emergencies.

Unfortunately I don’t qualify as “small,” so the grapnel doesn’t work, and I’m looking for permanent mooring, so the mushroom and sheet/waist anchors are out. That leaves me with the image of a mooring anchor for my analogy.

“Anchor your minds on things above in a way that confirms YOUR POSITION IN CHRIST, not on earthly things.”

Anyone follow this musing? Thoughts?