As is common in the adventures of my life, I found myself
again, along the rocky cliffs of Santa Cruz. The weather was stormy, windy, and
cold. One step outside of my car, and I realized I had forgotten my jacket. So
I ventured quickly to the edge of the ocean to absorb for a few brief moments
the violent beauty that I have grown to love. The ocean's ripples were seen
everywhere as the wind blew across the face of the sea. The waves crashed along
the edge of the coast, creating a beautiful sound only heard in nature. I
enjoyed every minute of it.
I only had a few moments, so I quickly jumped back in my car, and headed to church. It was on this drive to that I saw for a brief moment the vivid contrast to what I just experienced. Four children stood fighting the wind throwing rocks. It was picture perfect really. Now I am sure that they were having the time of their life, fighting the sea as they would throw pebbles at the ocean with everything they had. Keep in mind, they weren't just tossing them over the cliff with half efforts. No, they were heaving with everything they had, little rocks against the violent wind. It was an epic battle, with no hope of victory for the four valiant warriors.
It reminded me of how we often fight against the wind.
I only had a few moments, so I quickly jumped back in my car, and headed to church. It was on this drive to that I saw for a brief moment the vivid contrast to what I just experienced. Four children stood fighting the wind throwing rocks. It was picture perfect really. Now I am sure that they were having the time of their life, fighting the sea as they would throw pebbles at the ocean with everything they had. Keep in mind, they weren't just tossing them over the cliff with half efforts. No, they were heaving with everything they had, little rocks against the violent wind. It was an epic battle, with no hope of victory for the four valiant warriors.
It reminded me of how we often fight against the wind.
It seems like that is how we are with God sometimes. Our
futile attempts to fight Him, is liking throwing rocks at the wind. He comes to
bring winds of change that will be to our benefit, and the first thing we do is
pick up our rocks of tradition to fight this change. We throw our pebbles because
we don't like the winds of change that God is bringing. It may threaten our positions
of comfort, power and traditions (we have them even as youth pastors and leaders!) Yet, these are the very things that God
wants to crash against. It is the very reason he is shaking us up.
It reminded me of the story of Jonah. When you read this story, you find a
person who is not only fighting God, but running the opposite way. He went against the wind. In the process of fighting God, he faced more
chaos and calamity than he could have imagined.
I’m sure he didn’t realize the fight would quite literally take him to
the bottom. He wanted his comforts, God
wanted his calling.
In our fighting the wind, what do we miss? We miss the opportunity to allow God to use
us in the greater capacity he has destined for us. We miss what he has purposed for us, and in
the end, we are only left worn out from fighting. Our
fight reveals in us a lack of faith that God will do what He promises. Maybe we are fighting because we are
comfortable and secure. Our fear of
changing something might lead to failure.
Perhaps our fight is the unknown, and our assumptions lead us to the
worst of ideas, so it’s better to keep our ministry as it has always been.
It takes faith to make change to a ministry, to start a new
ministry, to bring on leaders, to place ministry in the hands of students, to
do an outreach that you’ve never done before, and to do whatever God might be
asking of you. But that’s just the
thing. To fight it already leads to the failure
you are living in fear of. Fighting the
wind guarantees that failure will come. It
takes faith to embrace the wind.
I will be first to tell you I do not like change. I do not like being thrown off the course that I have set in the sea of life, yet it seems so often that God brings along the wind, because He knows what is needed. There is a greater cause to be had. There is ministry to be done. There is a calling to be fulfilled. It is in these travailing winds that I find God moving me toward who he desires me to be and what he desires me to do, in faith.
I guess what made the image of the kids fighting against the wind, is that I saw myself standing on those shores. I am spiritually, emotionally, and foolishly throwing rocks against the wind. I guess it is time to stop, and stand with my face in the wind, and enjoy the ripples and tides that God has brought to me during this time, and effectively move toward what God has for me personally and in ministry.
What is God moving you toward? What is He challenging you to do? It's time to embrace the wind.
I will be first to tell you I do not like change. I do not like being thrown off the course that I have set in the sea of life, yet it seems so often that God brings along the wind, because He knows what is needed. There is a greater cause to be had. There is ministry to be done. There is a calling to be fulfilled. It is in these travailing winds that I find God moving me toward who he desires me to be and what he desires me to do, in faith.
I guess what made the image of the kids fighting against the wind, is that I saw myself standing on those shores. I am spiritually, emotionally, and foolishly throwing rocks against the wind. I guess it is time to stop, and stand with my face in the wind, and enjoy the ripples and tides that God has brought to me during this time, and effectively move toward what God has for me personally and in ministry.
What is God moving you toward? What is He challenging you to do? It's time to embrace the wind.
Scott Tuttle
Operations and Events Director
Student Ministries
No comments:
Post a Comment