Waiting for the Wind
My nephew’s 10 year old son came for a visit one hot, July weekend. I was enticing him to stay inside by joining him in a Nintendo game. After being mercilessly defeated by a more experienced player, I suggested that we relax awhile. I collapsed into my favorite recliner to let my neck muscles relax and my ego recover from such a beating. He had slipped out of the room and I was catching a few relished moments of peace and quiet.
“Look, Alice,” he said enthusiastically as he ran over to the chair where I was recovering.
“I found a kite. Could we go outside and fly it?”
Glancing out a nearby window, I noticed there was not a breeze stirring. “I’m sorry, Tripper,” I said, sad to see his disappointed eyes, but thankful for the respite from more activity. “The wind is not blowing today. The kite won’t fly.”
The determined 10 year old replied. “I think it’s windy enough. I can get it to fly,” he answered, as he hurried out the back door.
I peeked through the slats in the venetian blinds to watch determination in action. Up and down the yard he ran, pulling the kite attached to a small length of string. The plastic kite, proudly displaying a picture of Batman, remained about shoulder level. He ran back and forth, as hard as his ten year old legs would carry him, looking back hopefully at the kite trailing behind. After about ten minutes of unsuccessful determination, he came back in.
I asked, “How did it go?”
“Fine,” he said, not wanting to admit defeat. “I got it to fly some.”
As he walked past me to return the kite to the closet shelf, I heard him say under his breath, “I guess I’ll have to wait for the wind.”
At that moment I heard another Voice speak to my heart. “Alice. Sometimes you are just like that. You want to do it your way instead of waiting for the Wind.”
And the voice was right. How easy it is to use our own efforts to accomplish what we want to do. We wait for the Wind only after we have done all we can and have exhausted our own strength. We must learn how to rely on Him in the first place!
