The Wind

Photo Credit:  Alvimann from morgueFile.com

As I listen to the wind howling outside, I’m thinking about how much of an influence wind can have.  It can be beautiful in just the right amounts.  Too much or too little of it and we grumble.  Strong winds have the potential to be incredibly damaging, while just enough of a breeze can enable our kites to soar.  The right dose of wind can allow us to tolerate our South Texas summer days without melting into a puddle on the pavement.

The other day, my uncle and cousin were planning a Sunday bike ride.  What is the very first thing they checked on their phone to see if a bike ride was a good idea?  Yep.  The wind.  Once my cousin found out there were going to be 17-mile-an-hour winds on Sunday afternoon, they opted for an early morning ride instead.  Wind makes a difference.  It would have been great if that wind was pushing their backs the whole time, but there is that funny part called the return ride when it’s blowing in your face at the exact same speed.  Not quite as exhilarating.

You’ve heard the idiom, “They took the wind out of my sails.”  And, most, if not all of us, have had someone take the wind out of our sails by making us feel less confident or less determined to do something.  Right?  Did you go ahead and mark them off of your birthday party list?  Ha!

On the flip side, have you ever been the wind that someone needed in order to set sail?  Has someone given you just the right amount of wind in your life so that you could really start to soar?  Wind can make all the difference.

My 6-year-old daughter brought home a booklet the other day from school.  On the front, it read – “I’m a Star!”  Inside of this packet were letters written to her from each of her classmates.  Each child in first grade gets a chance to be the Star Student of the week and have show-and-tell by sharing different things about themselves and bringing favorite items from home.  It was my daughter’s turn that week and I thoroughly enjoyed reading through the notes with her. 

I want to share a few of them with you.  The children’s unique spelling is just precious, so I’m sharing that too:  “You are special becase you are nis and giving.  You are the nicis prcin I have ever met.  You are very talitid at math.  I like the way that you act.  You are special because you can dans.  You are pritey.  You are koot.  You are the best lrnr in are class.  You are kind to pepl.  I never met a frind like you.  I like to play with you.”

You should have seen the smile on my daughter’s face as she read these letters out loud to me.  It was priceless.  I watched the wind fill her sails.  I saw the wind make her soar.  There was an extra skip in her step that evening after reading these heartfelt notes.  The wind was visible as she flew through the house that night.

I don’t think it’s coincidental that the right people seem to come along at the right time in our lives.  I rather think it’s Providential and heaven-sent.  Aren’t we sometimes that sailboat out there in the waters of life just tossing back and forth, to and fro, but not really moving anywhere?  We know we need to move forward, but we just can’t seem to find a way to do it.  We need the wind to move us.  We need God-given wind and I think many times that comes in the form of a friend, family member, or other loved one who gives us the strength to do just that…to move forward.

Maybe some of you out there suffer with white-coat-syndrome?  Maybe you have it so bad that you’ve put off going for a check-up for many years now because of it?  Maybe you miraculously found the courage to go on Monday?  Yes.  I did.  I totally did.  One of my friends sent me a sweetly simple text that morning saying, “Praying for you.”  And, my husband left me an encouraging voice mail just minutes before I walked into the doctor’s office. They both knew I needed some wind that morning and it came at just the right time.

I love the “Pay It Forward” movement that describes the beneficiary of a good deed repaying it to others instead of to the original benefactor.  We can certainly pay it forward and we can also PRAY it forward.  I love that idea as well.

Another friend of mine had an appointment recently and I wanted to pray it forward.  I knew just how wonderful it felt knowing that I was being prayed for at a time when I was too nervous to pray for myself.  So, I called her and sent her a text to let her know.  I prayed it forward.  Who can you pray it forward to this week?

As I listen to the blowing wind, I think I’ll stop and say a little prayer.  Thank you, God, for sending people our way to be our wind…just the right amount…exactly when we need it most.  I’m grateful that you want us to soar.  I’m glad you find the ways and the people to fill our sails.  I’m thankful for you, Lord, and all those special ones in our lives who are the wind beneath our wings.  Amen.

Have a wonderful week, Sunshines!