"Wind" | Reflection by Rich Walser

“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, 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

As a person who has had a life-long passion and fascination with sailing, this passage has a particular resonance with me. Because of my sailing, I can’t help but notice whenever I step outdoors the direction and speed of the wind and whether or not those things have changed since the last time I was outside. When you are on the open water, few things are more important than the wind. What makes sailing fun is knowing that you're not in control of what happens next and that you have to accept and respond to whatever the world throws at you. You literally are at the mercy of the wind. And if you are a yacht racer, you learn to notice the most subtle of changes in the wind’s speed and direction. The yacht racer continually makes minor adjustments to the trim of the sails and course of the boat in response to the changes that the wind has made, and will also try to anticipate how it might soon change by noticing its effects on the distant water or in the clouds above. The wind demands from the sailor constant attention and alertness to its changes.     

If what Jesus said about the Spirit being like the wind is true, then my experience of sailing would tell me that we should all pay very close attention to how the Spirit is moving in our lives and to have faith in it. Taking the journey of the Spirit will likely mean needing to adjust to subtle changes in speed and direction and sometimes not moving at all, as if becalmed. Trusting that wherever the spirit moves us, it is likely where God needs us to be. Do not be afraid or angry to adjust your sails if you need to, or to steer in a somewhat different direction for a while. It is likely there are others on board taking the journey with you to take strength and comfort and enjoyment from.