AGAINST THE WIND...

I love a windy day.  

I love the sound of the wind.  

I love watching the trees bend and strain.  

I love the feel of wind on my face.  

I’ve sat in the woods alone on a windy night filled with awe.  

Wind, to me, is a special gift.  

BUT, ever drop a receipt or an important piece of paper in the wind??  THE CHASE IS ON!!  Chase, stomp….  chase, stomp…. chase, stomp.   Got the visual??  Just when you think you caught it, you reach down to grab it and swoosh, another gust of wind comes and it flutters out of reach once again.  

A couple weeks ago (December 16^th to be exact),  I woke up with a pretty intense thought that I needed to read Ecclesiastes.   Now you have to understand that this is ODD for me.  I’m working on reading my Bible more regularly, but admittedly it hadn’t been as much a part of my life as I wish it had been.   So for me to wake up thinking about Ecclesiastes… well, let’s just say it caught my attention.   It wouldn’t have been so odd if I had woke up thinking about reading the Christmas story or something like that…. but Ecclesiastes??  Had to be a fluke.  I responded to the thought with “Ecclesiastes??  REALLY???  Hhhmmm… He must mean Ephesians” (a friend of mine had mentioned a couple weeks prior that she had read  Galations and Ephesians).  Well, the “prompting” actually responded back!!  I heard “No… I said Ecclesiastes”. 

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been struggling with some feelings of unsettledness in my life.  Stirrings I’m trying to pay attention to and listen to.  Since I was pretty sure there wouldn’t be a crystal ball or leather bound book entitled “Sandy’s guide to her life” under the Christmas tree, I have been praying often for God to put people, situations and conversations in my path to help show me His will.  So when you wake up hearing an inner voice say you need to read Ecclesiastes… well then, YOU READ ECCLESIASTES.  I had no idea what I would find, until I started reading.   Once again, our God amazed me.

What I found was King Solomon lamenting over the futility of life.  Each chapter repeatedly went through the things people were chasing in life WAY BACK THEN… power, intellect, pleasure, work, money… and how it is all meaningless.  How it is all: empty.  How it is all:

STRIVING AGAINST THE WIND

Gee… it struck me as a real downer.  But reading a little deeper and using the study guide notes in my Bible I got the real meaning.  All of these things people chased back then are the same things we can chase today.   Isn’t that amazing??  Chase, stomp…. chase, stomp… chase, stomp.   Reach out to grab it and true happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment, flutters away once again.   HOWEVER, Solomon’s message wasn’t one of despair.  The point of Ecclesiastes was that all the things in this world and life that we chase are meaningless WITHOUT GOD.  The point is that there is “a time for everything”… but it has to be God’s timing.    The point is that it is GOD alone we need to chase… and He wants to be caught. 

SO there I sat. 

All the things I fret about, strive after, chase. 

All the things I look to, to fill the empty places inside me. 

All the timing issues I struggle with. 

All these things were laid out before me in this book I was prompted to read. 

On a simple Friday morning in December.

A message for ME... from the Maker of the universe.

And the message I heard was loud and clear:  

“Just walk with ME, Sandy”

Human instinct kicks in and I right away start wondering what that means.  What does that look like??  What should I do?? What shouldn't I do?? What about this?? What about that??  And the most beautiful thing happened.  Again, that same simple message came:

"Just walk with ME, Sandy"

I look to the year ahead with anticipation.  I have a lot of the standard resolutions going through my head:  eat healthier, exercise daily, lose weight, slow down, simplify.  But I KNOW that while all these things are good things, important things, things of value when done in the right context… the most important resolution I can make is to WALK WITH GOD daily.  It is the ONLY resolution that will calm the unsettledness I feel inside.   It is the ONLY resolution that will lead to… LIFE.   The LIFE He wants to show me.  Everything else when done without HIM is just striving against the wind.

I’m guardedly excited about this resolution.  I wonder where the walk will lead??  Will it be smooth?? Or rocky and hilly??  I don't know, but I'm strappin' on my tennies and I'm ready to go.  

Have fun with your own resolutions.  Challenge yourself with them.  But keep them in their place.  I encourage you to make a daily walk with God what you TRULY chase in 2012.

CHASE… STOMP…. CATCH!!!! 

 Thank you, God… I love you too.