24th day of Lent

The month of March is known for its wind. March is a great time to fly a kite. It has been a long time since I flew a kite. However, I do remember the power and elation that comes from holding the string and watching that kite soar on windy days. It was a real thrill to soar a kite on a windy day.

John’s Gospel describes the Holy Spirit as wind. We know the wind is blowing, but unless we are meteorologists we have no idea from whence it blows and to where it is going. Occasionally I will play golf on a windy day and return home with a wind-chapped face. Or even worse, I’ll have a wind-burned face. Wind is a powerful force. This time of year, we are very tornado sensitive. In the fall, we are hurricane sensitive. Wind can bring joy or it can bring horror. It is a force to be reckoned with.

I am reflecting today on Jesus’ description of the Holy Spirit as recorded by John. It is like the wind. Sometimes the spirit gives me power to soar, and sometimes the spirit upsets my comfort zone with tornado- or hurricane-force winds. I prefer the gentle wind that refreshes and soothes me. But I know that after a blowing storm, there are often found the clearest of skies and the freshest air. So it is when the Holy Spirit blows rough through my life.

I can’t control the wind. Perhaps that is what frightens me the most. I like to control things. It gives me a sense of security. But what I’m thinking God is working on within me this Lent is to learn to trust God in deeper and wider ways. It is in the trusting of God that I will discover greater joy and meaning for my life. Help me, Lord, to trust You with the gentle breezes of your spirit and with the tornado/hurricane-force winds of your spirit, as well. It is You who knows best, and I want so desperately to learn better to trust You even if it means I get a little windburn. May it be so.