Sometimes, when life feels chaotic and out of control (which, let’s be honest, is more often than not), I stop in my tracks and go outside. My oldest daughter Emma caught me the other day and asked me what I was doing.
“Feeling the wind,” I answered, watching the trees dance.
“Yeah, it feels good, doesn’t it?” she said.
“It does,” I replied.
In that moment, I know she was referring to the relief of the breeze. It was a steamy day, the sun blazing hot, so the wind provided a much-needed respite from the heat.
I, too, was referring to relief, but not quite in the same way.
I think everyone has something in nature that connects them to God—the stillness and vastness of water, the warmth of sunshine, the beauty and joy of flowers, the life-giving properties of hands working in dirt.
For me, it’s the wind.
Several years ago, when I first became a Christian, I taught a 4- and 5-year-old Sunday School class. In one of our lessons, we attempted to teach the concept of Faith. The analogy we used was the wind—you can’t see it, but you can feel it. Just like God. The lesson has never left me, and time and time again, I have used that analogy to remind me of God’s presence.
Sometimes, when the storm is raging and life sends damage and cracks that feel powerful and unmanageable, God’s presence is fierce and sometimes audible, and I can rest in the knowledge that He is moving and working all things for my good and His glory.
Other times, when life feels dry and monotonous, I may not feel Him at all, but I have learned to take the time to be still and lean in closer. It is only then that I see the slight sway of a leaf, the delicate bend of a branch, the gentle reminder that He is near.
And in the harvest, when the sun is shining bright and the cool wind gives way to new and exciting change, I can soak in the goodness and remember the One behind it all—the One to whom the praise is due.
This reminder of the wind, I admit it’s one I need often. But I try not to beat myself up too much for needing a physical representation of God’s faithfulness. In those moments when my heart and head are not in sync, when I can’t tell which way I’m headed or where I might end up, the wind reminds me that He is control.
It’s the same analogy God uses to describe the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost:
“And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.”
Acts 2:2 ESV
Jesus also used the concept of wind to explain the work of the Holy Spirit:
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8 ESV
While I know that God isn’t the wind, I do believe He created it and tells it when to blow. One of my favorite songs says it best:
So when the tears are falling and my burdens are much too heavy to share with my 11-year-old daughter, I absorb the breeze—the relief—and I release the rest to Him. I remind myself that He has been there all along, waiting to carry those burdens far, far away, so that I can simply feel His presence, hear His promises, and exhale.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7