Today’s Daily Bread ~ Wind

Job 38:22-24 – “Have you visited the treasuries of the snow?  Have you seen where the hail is made and stored?  I have reserved it for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war.  Where is the path to the origin of light?  Where is the home of the east wind?”

I have lived in Texas since the fall of 1998.  I was born in the mid-west, moved back and forth between Minnesota and various states (all in the mid-west) until we settled in Colorado, where I graduated from high school.  Then, I went off to college (in the mid-west) while my family moved back north.

I don’t mind the mid-west.  I always enjoyed experiencing four full seasons, each beginning and ending relatively on-time.  No snow in May, no snow-suits on Halloween.  For me, there was nothing not to like about the mid-west except the wind.

In October of ’98, I moved to Texas with a few reservations, but mostly eager anticipation.  A clean slate and a fresh start.  The beginning of a radio career, and the (almost) complete elimination of winter. 

I was delighted to enjoy 85 degree days right smack in the middle of November.  On Christmas day, I wore flip-flops.  Winter blew in around New Year’s and blew out at the end of February.  And then spring blew in on a 35mph wind.

Texas would be perfect if it weren’t for that wind.

I took my kids swimming yesterday.  Temperatures hit the low 90s, and I would’ve enjoyed the pool had I not been chasing down kick-boards and arm-floaties.  I would’ve enjoyed the conversation with my neighbors, had I been able to hear them above the wind.  I would’ve enjoyed watching my kids splash around, had I not been picking out the dirt and sand that blew into my eyes. 

Last week I had the kids in the jogger-stroller, and it hit me, why I don’t like the wind.  It’s the resistance.

I just flat out don’t like things that make life tougher than it already is.  Pushing 70 pounds of kids in a 50 pound stroller is hard enough.  Running against an extra 30 miles per hour of pressure is ridiculous.

Something else occurred to me on that run.  The resistance I feel when I’m running against the wind isn’t the wind.  It’s me, attempting to defy it.

Job 38:31-32 – “Can you hold back the movements of the stars?  Are you able to restrain the Pleiades or Orion?  Can you ensure the proper sequence of the seasons or guide the constellation of the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?”

Looking back over the course of my life, I see many, many places where the Lord used a spiritual wind to set me on a new path.

1997 – Hanging on desperately to a failed relationship, a fruitless job and a fractured identity.  Resisting every sign prompting me toward Texas.

2001 – Hanging in there at another radio station that promised no advancement, while the Lord nudged me a different way.

2010 – Hanging on to the Dorsey Gang by the skin of my teeth, afraid to leave the show and the paycheck, even though God clearly had other plans in mind.

My normal route when I run is a perfect rectangle: One mile east, two miles south, one mile west, and two miles north.  Anytime the wind is higher than 15 mph, I get battered going east and west.  South is almost impossible.  But the second I make that right-hand turn to go north, something happens.  It carries me. That last two mile stretch toward my house is a gentle upward slope, but the wind makes me feel like I’m gliding downhill.

When we surrender to the wind of the Holy Spirit, that same powerful force that seems to block our every move literally propels us to our new destination.

When I finally moved to Texas, getting a job in radio was almost effortless.  I was working as a board-operator in two weeks.  Two weeks later I was at a different station, working as a producer/part time news reporter.  Two months later I was on-air as a DJ.  Two years later, on the biggest country music morning show in the United States.

I held on to that morning show job for almost ten years.  Seven years in, the winds of change started to blow once again.  Mike and I finally decided to take the leap of faith in October of 2010.  January 4^th was my last day as a full-time member of the Dorsey Gang.  Since then, God has filled my schedule with speaking engagements and ministry opportunities.  I hope to start a book this summer. My husband and I are closer than we’ve ever been, and I’m delighting in every moment with my children.

 The very second I stopped resisting, the same force I was fighting….fought for me.

Dear Heavenly Father, why do we resist You?  We know Your plan is good.  We know Your ways are perfect.  It’s just so difficult to take a step when we can’t see the road ahead.  It is so difficult to change.  God, we pray today that if You are nudging us in a different direction, You would give us a very clear sign.  Please don’t make us guess.  Make Your will known to us, God.  Make our paths clear, even if it’s just one step at a time.  Speak to us today!  We pray that You would give us the strength and the courage to follow You, even if it makes no apparent sense.  Help us to trust only in You, not in our own understanding (Pr. 3:5).  Help us to delight in that which delights You.  Help us to seek You more.  Help us to quiet our lives, that we might hear Your voice.  We love You so much, God.  Help us to love You more.  We thank You for Your Son, and the magnificent work on the cross.  It is in the beautiful, blessed name of Jesus Christ we pray.  Amen.