About
Ever since I was a kid I’ve always had a fascination with the wind. Something about it is so mysterious and yet captivating. I love to stand outside in the winter and feel the wind rush across my face. There’s an excitement when it’s moving fast, and there’s peacefulness when it’s a gentle breeze. The soothing quality of the wind is a constant reminder of the soft whisper of God’s voice in the quiet. The harsh wind is a symbol of God’s strength and power. It’s interesting to see the roll that wind plays in the scriptures. In Old Testament times God uses the wind to accomplish miracles like in the parting of the Red Sea. In the New Testament when Jesus calmed the storm the disciples said, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Jesus compared our faith to the wind when he spoke with Nicodemus. “You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3) The wind is so mysterious. Our faith is so ambiguous some times. How do we really live it out? How do we share it? How do we capture the wind? I think that these are truly some of the most important questions we need to be asking. I don’t know all the answers, but I do know that I want my life to be about Capturing Wind.
In my post called Capturing Wind I introduced the metaphor behind the title of this site, and Gavin asked a good question. Gavin said, “when you say capture, do you mean like how the sails of boats capture wind? or is it like the idea of trapping some wind in a jar?”
I really love the idea of sailing, although I hadn’t considered it. It really implies that we are in tune with God and his will. To sail with the wind is to trust God for his direction. But the original meaning intended by the word capture is actually different from both ideas. Maybe a better word would be convey… How do we convey the wind? How do we show someone something that’s invisible? How do we live our lives in a way that people can see that our sails are up? In the case of this metaphor Gavin is right. (Go back and read the rest of what he said if you didn’t…) We can’t bottle it up or place it in a neat little package… it would loose it’s life. The wind is much bigger than a jar, a box or three points on a jumbotron. Maybe we can’t capture it at all in this sense. I guess we just have to point out the effects of the wind, and show people where to stand to feel the breeze. Lots to think about… “I’m sailing!”