Yesterday, I took a walk along the ocean and saw a guy taking a kite surfing lesson. Not long ago this activity seemed to find itself on a list of things I might like to try. It happened on a windy day when it seemed every kite surfer in the city found their way into the Pacific. I looked out and saw them gliding across the water at terrific speeds. One of them even took flight for a few seconds. That's the thought that thrilled me. Taking flight. Soaring through the air. No limits.
But as I watched a little of the lesson yesterday, I was reminded that there are limits. If the wind ain't blowin', you ain't goin' nowhere. (Pardon the triple negative.) Without wind, their kites will simply fall into the ocean. The wind is the engine. And what an interesting engine it is considering that you can't even see it. But it has power to take you places if you'll let it.
Our life of faith is powered by an invisible God. We are told in 2nd Corinthians 4 to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. My Grandmother used to say "God will pull you through anything if you can just stand the pullin'." That usually brought to my mind a picture of a ragged man at the end of a rope. Maybe like someone who just lost tug of war and got pulled through the mud.
Maybe a better way to think of it is God pulling us up out of an ocean, maybe even an ocean of sorrows, so that we can soar. We'd make things easier on ourselves if we'd stop resisting His pull and just go with the flow.
Many years ago now, a group known as The 2nd Chapter Of Acts had a song that said, "You don't know which way the wind blows. So, how can you plan tomorrow? Jesus knows which way the wind blows. So, give Him your tomorrow." This is a very freeing thought for those who think they can control the wind. You can't. Give up trying. Hold on tight to the One who does. Take flight.
Matthew 8:27 "The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
2 comments:
It's not often I go to church, come home, look at the pastor's page and he tells me, "Go fly a kite and I'm the kite." Great stuff and great music, great message at the Sun. 8:30AM Service. Exceptional! - lhm
:) We appreciate your kind words of encouragement. And I'm not sure that I've ever told anyone to go fly a kite before. lol Maybe next time we'll go with an eagle image ...as in soaring with wings like eagles'. Regardless, there's just something about flying...
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