Sitting in my living room looking outside. It’s a cool breezy day. I am staring at the biggest and tallest trees in my neighborhood. They move side to side pushed by the calm wind. Sometimes they slow down to point that it seems they’re not moving at all but then another wind comes and moves them again. I noticed them for a while thinking about the wind that moves me.
I’m jealous of these giant trees. Even though they’re big they look like they’re floating in the air. Their leaves move like a perfectly choreographed dance. This is not a raging wind. This is one that makes you want to sit under the trees and feel the air in your hair and on your face and under your toes. I believe winds brings us life. They makes us dance in the air; make us feel light as a feather while staying grounded. Spring winds bring us fresh breath of air and the smell of new season and beginnings when we open our windows.
On the other hand, last week there was a thunderstorm that passed through most neighboring towns around where I live. This storm combined with strong wind brought havoc to so many people’s properties. I passed through some of these neighborhoods looking at the damage caused by the wind that passed through their towns. Some of the biggest trees were uprooted from their roots and collapsed on the road, some trees fell on houses. Some lost huge branches and some big trees with huge trunks broke in half from the wind. What a terrifying image.
I stopped and thought, isn’t it how it goes with life sometimes? Every day we’re surrounded by winds that blow in our direction. So many types of winds more than we can name. Some only we can feel inside without no one noticing. Some winds blow everyone and everything that’s in its way. We then get caught up with the hysteria that it creates around us. We’ve all been there where we’re highly moved by a certain social media movement or political stances, religious teachings, new social trends, new diets, following life style gurus and we think we have to get on it for number of resins such as fear of missing out (FOMO) or because everyone we know and follow is doing it. Then we jump on it without any gauge of the power and the weight it will bring on our soul after the wind blows over. Some stand still but some are exhausted by all the wind and eventually fall and will not recover. These are winds that bring chaos in our society and create disaster all around us. Even the biggest and oldest trees with roots for days come down. These winds if we don’t pay attention uproot us from the ground that we held for years.
Here’s one interesting thing I noticed. Most of the trees that fell over were some of the biggest trees. Perhaps considered the strongest. The medium ones lost few branches and smallest ones didn’t fall. I have no scientific explanation as to why that happened (maybe someone with the knowledge and expertise can help me understand) but it makes me wonder. Surprisingly the giants in our midst that we think are unshakable are the ones that fall first but the ones who look weak and small stay the harsh seasons. Maybe I’m reaching too far here but it helps me think through some of the complexities of life.
I don’t have the secret key or the magic words or even point by point steps to help you stand tall when the strong winds come your way. I am only sharing my observation. I know one thing though. I’m not gonna wish for the winds to stop blowing in your life because I am convinced that some these winds come to test us, to make us feel alive; to make us move and feel things. Some winds are ways we know God is moving things around us and in us. Perhaps He’s the one passing through to make us notice that we’re not dead or stagnant. Maybe the lesson is not that we shouldn’t move but we move because we feel the breeze.
I guess my only wish for you who read this is that may you know which winds come to give you life vs ones that come to destroy you. May you feel divine movement that are sent to you without losing your ground. And If you are one who think you’re standing firm maybe it’s time to check the ground you’re standing on.
1st Corinthians 10:12 says “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.“ NLT
