OnFire #349 And the Winds were Calmed
It was fairly windy the other day, breezy as we would say back home in an understated way. It was sunny, and I would have liked to take the canoe out, but it would not have been safe to go out solo in that kind of wind. I did read a book outside for a while, but wished for shelter. There was no hiding from the wind as it eddied around the house. When I checked the 24-hour weather record, I was not surprised to discover the wind was 48km/hr, gusting to over 60. Like I said, it was a breezy day.
And then over the course of a few hours, it all changed. As I looked outside later in the day, I noticed nothing moving – no leaf on a tree, no litter in the street, no blade of grass. The wind simply dropped out. It was still outside, with only a flier caught in the fence to show that it had been windy earlier. After hiding all day, the birds came out to sing in the trees.
That it was windy was no surprise. It blows a lot here in Manitoba, and it always seems to be against you on the bicycle. More surprising though was how quickly it calmed - from stormy to still over several hours.
It made me think of times in life when our troubles were stilled. We got so used to the difficulties, it was almost hard to believe that they might end. But as I look back, that is exactly what happened. Illness. Depression. The boys’ ecoli hospitalization. Worries and woes of various kinds were calmed. It wasn’t always sudden, but one by one they became still.
Life is rarely without some kind of trouble, but these words of the Psalmist are still true:
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
Psalm 107:28-31*
The winds of life do not last forever. Rarely do they seem to pass as quickly as we hope, but they will end. Of this we can be sure.
I hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Married to Jan, Troy is a chaplain and has more than 20 years of pastoral experience. This letter published Jun 13, 2017. *New International Version. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Blog located at www.onfireletter.blogspot.com
