Turn Toward the Wind

Mark 6:48-50 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out;for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."

Lately, since I have been fighting the same bug everyone else seems to have, I have felt like the wind is against me and I am straining against it. I am tired, wondering when I will ever get over it. However, as I was reading this passage, I see Jesus coming and saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."

I am reminded of a book titled, "Turn Toward the Wind" by Dale Bourke. A couple years ago, I was in the hospital waiting room, waiting to have an xray taken when I looked down and saw this book. I picked it up and began to read, "...times of crises become moments of insight or insulation, a time to move closer to God as he truly is or a time to stubbornly hold on to our image of him." As I read on, the author tells of her experience in learning to sail a sailboat. Her instructor told her to find the wind and then aim her boat at an angle toward it. She felt as if God was telling her, "Face the winds of change and use them to propel you forward."

Are the winds blowing against you today? When the winds of adversity blow into your life, don't strain against it. Jesus says, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." Be of good cheer, turn your sails toward the wind and allow it to propel you forward toward Him. Allow it to teach you more of Who He really is and allow it to strengthen your faith in Him.

Dear Father, The winds will blow against all of us at some time or another. Help me to remember to turn my sails toward You and allow the winds of adversity to drive me closer to You. Amen.