The Winds of Life
If you have ever had the opportunity to ride in a hot air balloon, then you know the serenity that comes with the experience. After riding in a balloon, you also know that even the most skilled balloon pilot is only partially in control of where the balloon goes and doesn’t go. About a decade ago we took a balloon ride on a beautiful morning. The quietness as we flew over the scenic Lancaster County countryside was so peaceful. And the beauty, often missed at ground level, was just spectacular. We seemed to just glide across the sky. When it was time to land, even though there were only gentle breezes, we ended up coming down in a field about two miles from our targeted landing spot, not because of the inexperience of the pilot (he was a retired Navy pilot), but rather, because the winds took us there.
It is often the same way as we journey through life. The winds take us places that we never intended, or expected, to go. Sometimes those winds are gentle breezes while other times, they are Category 4 hurricane strength. Stuff happens in life that we just cannot control. You suddenly find yourself a widow or widower, just as you were enjoying being empty nesters. Your aging parent or grown child and his family moves in with you. A major health issue drains your bank account; money you had planned for retirement years. Cancer, divorce, unemployment. Any one of those situations take us off our desired and usually well planned out course, blowing us into a field two miles away, sometimes with a loud thud. Even life’s little inconveniences can occasionally cause us to be blown into unknown territory.
The winds of life are often cruel. What is here today is often gone tomorrow. What was normal is no longer, and we are forced to adapt and adjust to a new normal, at least until that too is blown to a new landing spot. We are told that very thing in Scripture – The grass withers and the flower fades (see Isaiah 40:6-8 and 1 Peter 1:24-25).
While life is fickle, constantly blown to and from by ever-changing winds, we can be confident that in the midst of constant change, we have a God who is never-changing. God is consistent; always good, always faithful, always loving, always all-powerful. Both verses referenced above end like this – But the word of God stands (endures) forever. In Malachi 3:6, the Lord says this of himself, “I the LORD do not change.” And Hebrews 13:8 says this about Jesus, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
So, no matter how uncertain your life is, how changing the world can be, or how far the winds of life are blowing you from your planned destination, you can always trust in God’s unchanging character, unchanging promises, and unchanging plans.
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