Matt Mings on The Wind and Unpredictability
So it’s been very windy down here along the Eastern coast for the last 24 hours. I’m amazed at the strength of Georgia pines! I saw some pines yesterday, probably 50 feet tall, bending at a 45-degree angle (at least) and not snapping! Talk about flexibility …
Which brings me to the statement Jesus made: “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). Jesus was a master of metaphor, and this familiar one communicated to me again today. I know that God is working; the Spirit is moving, blazing new trails, surprising me and the folks of Grace Community Church all the time. As pastor (and someone who loves strategizing) I find myself attempting to see where God is coming from and where God is going. If I do this long enough, I establish a set of parameters and conclusions that I expect to see fulfilled. Today I’m reminded that the Spirit blows where it wills … I can’t see where it’s coming from nor where it’s going. Oh, I’ll still strategize. But I can’t be locked into my expectations. When God is doing a new thing, the parameters and results will always be surprising.
I’m no longer interested in being “outside the box.“ I’m understanding that God doesn’t see a box … so neither will I.
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Category: Sacramental Living, The Church One comment »
April 25th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Okay, I’m a little late leaving a reply, but this caused me to think of that scripture in a new light also: so, as the Spirit moves and “blows” among us we must be left with three choices. We bend and move with him, changing as He would see fit; we stand strong and fight the wind, unwilling to bend and move; or we become so overcome with His moving that we snap!