Wind

Wind

I awoke to the windows rattling. Even without my hearing aids, I could hear the wind roaring and shaking everything it touched. Strong winds are not uncommon where I live. Blowing down the east slope of the Rockies and across the valley floor, there isn't much to stop this force of nature. One advantage of this wind is that it blew all the fallen leaves into the neighbor’s yard.

Later that day, I bundled up and took the dog for a walk. Leaning into the wind, it took all I had to stand upright and move forward. Having finished our stroll around the neighborhood, I was exhausted and the dog was elated. The energy it took to buck that wind was almost too much. I enjoy fresh air at a lower velocity.

There have been times in my life when I have felt strong winds of adversity. Life

can be unpredictable and in need of a firm foundation upon which to stand. We live in a time that shuns such a foundation, choosing to build upon the shifting sands of what seems right for today. When struggles come and the ground begins to move, the integrity of our choices is revealed.

I am reminded of the story Jesus told about two builders. One built on sand and the other on solid rock. When the storm came, only one house survived, the one built on solid rock. A good reminder of how we are to build our lives. When the winds of adversity come, our foundation will be tested.

A song we sing at church says it well: “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground in sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.”

As for the wind, it is God’s breath refreshing the earth. Bring it on!