One Minister’s Musing
July 12, 2011
The Answers Are Blowing In The Wind
Just four days ago I was sitting and reading at the Minnesota lake home with warm sun and cool breezes off the water. These lazy days allow for time to be, read, and reflect, allowing time to wonder about work, relationships, and God. These times allow room for many questions. It allows time for the questions to grow, and more often than not, the answers are few. As a result, I get more anxious. I often leave vacation churned up by these questions, more restless than rested. I want answers. I want answers now.
One morning I woke early to sit outside and the wind was blowing hard, no longer the gentle breeze in a quiet afternoon. The force of the wind from the lake pushed against my face. It was strong enough to shake the limbs of the large oak trees on the bank. I sat very still to experience this push and wonder about the force of these air currents.
As I sat, I watched the many bird feeders scattered in the trees around me. They rocked to and fro moving this way and that by the forces of the wind, but remained anchored to the branches of the trees. I watched the birds fly to and from these feeders as they played in the strong winds. They would dive to the feeders, catch hold, peck at the food, and move on. They delighted in the challenge, playing in wind, riding the currents up and down, and singing joyfully.
I continued to sit still and watched, waited. Just three feet away from me was a humming bird feeder. As I sat, two birds came to feed. Initially, they only flew around the feeder and I. Then they moved closer, hovering in the air and finally drinking the sweet nectar from inside the feeder. First the female came, then the male, hovering to drink and hurrying away. But they kept coming, and finally stopped to sit at the feeder. These tiny birds stayed, as they were sure of safety and sure of food even as the wind blew at them.
Perhaps these little birds knew something I didn’t. They played in the challenge of the wind. They trusted to eat even in the push and pull of the currents around them. When I am challenged by the winds of questions and doubt, I often become afraid and anxious. I wonder what’s wrong and what needs to be fixed. Yet, these birds thrilled in the push against them, they danced in the swiftly moving air, and trusted the flow for life.
Perhaps questions and challenges are not to be feared but are the very gifts of the God in which to fly and delight. They are the currents in which we fly. And maybe if I am quiet long enough, the answers will come to me through the hard front winds. For I have experienced in the wind and the waiting, the presence of the humming birds. When I was still, even in the wind, they came. When I was quiet, they arrived and flew close.  Thanks be to God.
Gently,
Pr E
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