The Blowing Wind

As I mentioned yesterday, the snowstorm that rolled through the area was met with an indignant attitude from the people from this region.  How else can we explain over 370 car crashes last night?  It can only be the arrogance of drivers who are oblivious to the fact that 8 to 10 inches of snow means "SLOW DOWN"! 

So I had a day to myself.  No traveling.  No meetings.  No sermon preparation.  Just a day to spend to myself.  Nancy was called into work early so there it was.   I'm not certain that I feel as though I was productive at all.  I guess I am so task driven that I need something before me in order to feel as though I've accomplished something.  All I did (really) was shovel my daughter's driveway and entryway several times - so that now it looks like snow never came.  The picture to the left will verify it) not that I needed verification - there is my task driven self again!)

Of course I am thinking of making a comparison to cleaning a driveway full of new fallen snow to some aspect of life.  I just can't help myself.  It doesn't matter what happens during the day - I can make some kind of connection of that event to my faith. 

I remember clearing some snow in Norcross, Minnesota for the first time while serving the Faith United Methodist Church in that small western Minnesota town.  No one told me about the winds of the prairie.  Where I grew up, as it began to snow you went out and shoveled because the snow came straight down and stayed down.  On the prairie, all of the snow you blow or shovel somehow ends up right where you started, which is what happened.  I waited until the wind stopped before clearing the walkway again.

My faith comparison wasn't really a stretch - the wind of the Holy Spirit blows where it will and we do not know how or why, but that it does.  So embrace the wind of the Spirit and go with the direction the Spirit is blowing you (see John 3:8).

That's just been my life over the past 26 years plus.  I try to go wherever the wind of the Spirit is blowing me.  It takes some discipline to pay attention to that direction and I won't tell you that I've been stellar in following it every time.  I've had my rebellious moments when I thought I knew better than the wind.  I was wrong every time.  But I've also had some moments when I've paid attention and in those moments, God was right.

Every single time.

So, pay attention to the wind of the Spirit.  Allow it to blow through your life to where it wants you to go.  You won't ever regret it.

(Incidentally, check out this article about Minnesotans and the snow.

You might agree with some of it.)