Where Is The Wind?

As I was standing outside the hospital this afternoon, I was enjoying the brisk breeze across my

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face. I watched the trees swish and sway with the wind and I thought of the verse:

"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." John 3:8

Try as I might, I could not see the wind. I could see leaves moving, I could see branches bending. I could feel my hair swirling around my head, but I could not see the wind itself. I could feel it on my face, and it's coolness was a refreshing promise of fall finally coming to the warmer part of our country. But I could not see the wind.

Recently, I have had the pleasure of coming in contact with several people with whom I went to high school, and some of the teachers at the school as well. I have enjoyed reconnecting and catching up with these familiar faces from the past, and it has made me look backward at the path my life has carved through time.

While those days were going on, I often was unaware that the Lord was the "wind" pushing me along a certain turn in the path. Sometimes I just thought I was making my own choice, even though some -- like the choice to become a nurse -- seemed to just come out of the blue. Looking back though, I can easily see the leaves blown by, the branches bent. . .all the traces of the "wind" in my life. It humbles me, it makes me so grateful, to think that a merciful God was watching out for me and leading me, even when I thought I was leading myself.

Oh, thank you Lord for parents that surely prayed for me often!

Here in the Deep South, when the days are hot and humid, the worst of all are when there is no wind, no breeze, no respite to the oven we call our climate. Sometimes in our lives we walk through some "dog days" (sorry, Sparrow) as well. But the "wind" is still there.

"The Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear:" Isaiah 59:1.

He is still leading, still guiding. It is His work that He has promised "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" Philippians 1:6.

Dressed for the Job. . .

Several weeks ago, Glen and I were out kayaking in the bay and we were navigating around a mass of reeds. I had held out my paddle to push away from the edge and made a comment about it being my "sword". It reminded me of the Armour of God listed in Ephesians Chapter 6:

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."

When we go kayaking, we must be "dressed" for the job we are doing. We must have our "armour" on, or we won't be safe and we won't be effective. Thinking on this, I began to correlate the passage in Ephesians to the things we take and wear while kayaking:

Loins gird about with truth - in the summer I wear a bathing suit; in cold I wear neoprene. One keeps me cool, the other keeps me warm. Keeping my body in the right temperature range is important out on the water. Too hot, or too cold can both create problems when far from shore.

Breastplate of righteousness - my personal flotation device, well-fitting and buckled. The most literal definition of righteousness means, "he who is what he ought to be". Well, a good kayaker is one who is first of all, safe. The first and most important measure of safety while boating is a proper fitting and properly applied PFD.

Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace - I always wear my water shoes; in the cold I add the wonderful waterproof socks Glen just bought me. The water shoes are to protect my feet from shells or rocks that might be on the riverbed. If I should need to get out of my boat, I would need sure footing and the shoes give me that.

The Shield of Faith - the one thing that shields me from the water and the gators -- my boat. There would be no kayaking without the kayak!

Helmet of Salvation - I always wear a hat and sunglasses. The hat saves my skin from the sun's rays as the sunglasses protect my eyes.

The Sword of the Spirit - My paddle without which I could not navigate the river. The paddle not only propels me, but it provides direction. Without it, I would be at the mercy of the current to just float whatever way the current would toss me. The paddle allows me to steer and turn my boat and direct it in the way that I know it should go.

Praying always for the saints -- I find the peaceful quiet of the kayak a wonderful place for prayer. The sights and quiet sounds of the river lend themselves to thoughts of the One who created all in sight.

We know that all the seven parts of the Armour of God are fulfilled in the Lord Jesus and provided for the Christian through Him. I like to think that He is also providing Himself as those things in our "armour" for the kayak as we travel up and down the rivers, across the bays and along the creeks. We know without question that as we paddle, He is our safety and always He is our safe harbor.

(You can also view this entry on our blog about kayaking, beyond the bow.)

Dressed for the Job

Several weeks ago, Glen and I were out kayaking in the bay and we were navigating around a mass of reeds. I had held out my paddle to push away from the edge and made a comment about it being my "sword". It reminded me of the Armour of God listed in Ephesians Chapter 6:

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."

When we go kayaking, we must be "dressed" for the job we are doing. We must have our "armour" on, or we won't be safe and we won't be effective. Thinking on this, I began to correlate the passage in Ephesians to the things we take and wear while kayaking:

Loins gird about with truth - in the summer I wear a bathing suit; in cold I wear neoprene. One keeps me cool, the other keeps me warm. Keeping my body in the right temperature range is important out on the water. Too hot, or too cold can both create problems when far from shore.
Breastplate of righteousness - my personal flotation device, well-fitting and buckled. The most literal definition of righteousness means, "he who is what he ought to be". Well, a good kayaker is one who is first of all, safe. The first and most important measure of safety while boating is a proper fitting and properly applied PFD.

Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace - I always wear my water shoes; in the cold I add the wonderful waterproof socks Glen just bought me. The water shoes are to protect my feet from shells or rocks that might be on the riverbed. If I should need to get out of my boat, I would need sure footing and the shoes give me that.

The Shield of Faith - the one thing that shields me from the water and the gators -- my boat. There would be no kayaking without the kayak!

Helmet of Salvation - I always wear a hat and sunglasses. The hat saves my skin from the sun's rays as the sunglasses protect my eyes.

The Sword of the Spirit - My paddle without which I could not navigate the river. The paddle not only propels me, but it provides direction. Without it, I would be at the mercy of the current to just float whatever way the current would toss me. The paddle allows me to steer and turn my boat and direct it in the way that I know it should go.

Praying always for the saints -- I find the peaceful quiet of the kayak a wonderful place for prayer. The sights and quiet sounds of the river lend themselves to thoughts of the One who created all in sight.

We know that all the seven parts of the Armour of God are fulfilled in the Lord Jesus and provided for the Christian through Him. I like to think that He is also providing Himself as those things in our "armour" for the kayak as we travel up and down the rivers, across the bays and along the creeks. We know without question that as we paddle, He is our safety and always He is our safe harbor.


(You can also see this entry in our blog, The Powder Room - An Orange Moon Journal for Women.)

A Mother's Heart in War . . . 5-30-2004

The Friday entries of "The Powder Room" are currently from a journal which I started when we found out our son was going to be deployed with the United States Marine Corps to Iraq. The journal was not written with the intention that it would ever be read by anyone else, much less published in any way. There are feelings in the journal that are deep and true and I wasn't sure at first I wanted to share them. But there are many sons and daughters still serving in our armed forces and I think it might be good to share "a mother's heart" with you what those other mothers may be facing. The entries are shared as a tribute to my son and his service to our country, and to all those sons and daughters who continue to willingly place themselves in harm's way for the protection and preservation of liberty.

May 30, 2004

There is always some sense of excitement in preparing for a trip -- the planning, the preparing, the packing, checking and double-checking lists to make sure nothing is forgotten. But the stacks of drab olive green belongings in the living room speak of another trip. A trip of business, purpose: a trip of war.

As the days tick by it still seems so unreal, almost like he will be going off to one of those special forces schools, instead of going to some far away country. I remember the day he left for boot camp, a day when going without seeing him for three months seemed impossible to bear. But the Lord was faithful and carried us through the waiting. The Lord has not changed, His arm is not shortened. He will be and do what He has always been and done. . .Faithful and Abundantly Sufficient.