It is an honor to be with all of you today. If we are honest with ourselves, every single person sitting in this room, or listening online, is either coming out of a storm, currently standing right in the middle of one, or heading into another. Storms are an inevitable part of the human experience. They arrive without warning, shifting our schedules, turning our plans upside down, and leaving us wondering how we are going to make it through to the other side.
But I want to challenge you today with a shift in perspective. The true danger of a storm isn’t the wind, it isn’t the rain, and it isn’t the rising tide. The true danger is when we allow the chaos outside of us to make its way inside of us. When the external noise becomes internal panic, that is when we begin to drift.
In ancient times, sailors knew that when a violent tempest struck, trying to steer or fight the waves directly was often a losing battle. Instead, they would drop an anchor deep into the ocean floor. The anchor didn’t make the storm go away. The wind still howled, the waves still crashed against the hull, and the boat still rocked. But the anchor did one vital thing: it prevented the ship from crashing into the rocks. It held the ship steady until the morning light arrived.
What is your anchor today? When your health takes an unexpected turn, when the finances look bleak, or when a relationship begins to fracture, what keeps you from breaking apart? If our anchors are tied to temporary things—like our jobs, our social standing, or our bank accounts—we will inevitably drift when those things fail. We need an anchor that is fixed to something secure, permanent, and unchanging.
First, we must guard our minds. The thoughts we choose to dwell on act as the chain to our anchor. If you feed your fears all day long through constant worry and endless scrolling through bad news, your chain will snap. We have to intentionally anchor our minds on what is true, noble, right, pure, and lovely.
Second, do not isolate. The natural temptation when we are hurting is to pull back, close the doors, and face the battle alone. But a solitary ship in a storm is highly vulnerable. We need the community around us to help hold us fast. Reach out to friends, family, or your small group. Let them lift you up when your own strength is failing.
Finally, cultivate a posture of gratitude. It sounds counterintuitive to give thanks when everything seems to be falling apart around you. However, gratitude shifts our focus away from the size of our problems and reminds us of the strength we have inside to endure them. It changes our perspective completely.
As we close today, I want to encourage you that no storm lasts forever. Seasons change, the clouds eventually part, and the sun will shine again. Do not lose heart in the middle of the night. Keep your anchor dropped deep, hold fast to your faith, lean heavily on your community, and watch how you will emerge from this season stronger, wiser, and more resilient than ever before.
Father Wojtek Kuzma