The Winds of Change

You know that beautiful yellow-leafed tree in my neighbor's yard? It's close to bare nekked now. We had one hellacious windstorm come through during the night. Now, rather than have a yellow tree, he's got what looks like yellow carpeting all over his front lawn.

Looking out my upstairs window, I see that almost all the trees in my neighborhood are now leaf-less. Looks like that wind escorted autumn out and brought in the winter landscape. There's snow on the top of the mountain. The skies are gray and cloudy. I'm thinking there might be white stuff coming to the yards and driveways sooner than I'd like.

I've always liked windstorms (not tornadoes, of course, but simple windstorms). I like the whistle that comes through the seams in the windows. The movement of the trees and the grasses. I even like watching the papers dance around as they get blown down the street.

You know, Ether talks about winds. Powerful winds that send a family plunging into and under deep waters for a time. The family ends up a bit disoriented by them now and again... and probably more than a little nervous. But, the winds have a purpose and the family on the sea is fully equipped to withstand what the wind causes in the elements that surround them. They have deep waters to cross. A new place to arrive at... one they neither were aware of nor could envision earlier in their lives. But Someone knew where He wanted to take them. A place prepared specifically for them. It's the wind that gets them there. And, once I read the text close enough to understand Who sent and caused the wind, my attitude about a lot of things changed.