CLEOEJACKSONIII.COM
  • My Home Page
  • My Life and Ministry
  • My Ongoing Thoughts
  • My Favorite Bible Verses
  • My Favorite Stories
  • My Favorite Jokes
  • My Favorite Quotations
  • My Favorite Web Links
  • My Contact Info
"Helping Others Communicate"

WIND POWER!

3/18/2021

 
The year was 1968.  My mother and my aunt took my cousins, my sister, and I to see the Walt Disney production titled “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day” at the FOX Theatre in downtown Atlanta.  As I recall, it was about Pooh Bear and his pals experiencing a breezy day on what they understood to be “Winds-day” – an obvious play on Wednesday.  Well, today was not a Wednesday; but a Thursday.  Nonetheless, it was still a very windy day!
 
It is often said that March is either supposed to come in as a lion and go out as a lamb, or else come in as lamb and go out as a lion. This year, it may well come in as a lamb, turn into a lion, and then revert to a lamb, as the middle of the month has been quite gusty.  In fact, the winds today were whipping through an impressive speed of 17 miles per hour.

At first glance, that may not sound like much; but trust me, it is.  As I went walking this afternoon, I found myself facing the full force of such a headwind.  Each successive step required more than the average expenditure of energy just to make progress.

The good news, however, is that I only faced this difficulty up until halfway through my journey.  Once I got out to the lake, turned around, and began my return journey, I quickly found that what had previously been a difficult headwind soon became a benevolent tailwind.  

I do not necessarily know how much longer it had taken me to get to the midway point of my walk; but I am quite confident that I made up for it on the return trip.  Suffice it to say that with a 17 mph tailwind, I found myself being borne swiftly along with each passing step. 

Not surprisingly, over the course of an hour’s walk, I spent a good deal of time reflecting on these things.  The thoughts I then had now comprise the remainder of my blog post.

It strikes me that the wind is a good metaphor of how we move through life.  By this I mean that there are clearly times when we each face unfavorable winds; just as there are times when we each enjoy favorable ones.  And I myself am living proof of this principle.

You see, there have been many times in my life when I have had to work my way forward against forceful opposition.  In these times, it can be said that the prevailing winds were against me; and that I have had to fight vigorously for each and every inch of ground gained.

Whether it was passing the fourth grade, or beating out the competition for a job opening, or winning my would-be wife’s favor over other possible suitors, I literally cannot count the number of times I have had to face and then overcome opposition.  In such times, the key to success has been little more than perseverance. 

At other times in life, such as breezing through algebra in the ninth grade, successfully fairing in a newly landed job position, or else enjoying the beautiful wife of my youth, the winds of life have clearly been favorable for me. 

Now, obviously, given the option, I would have always chosen the latter.  After all, who would not prefer to go through life with little or no difficulty?  But the truth is that I know in my heart that it was most often those times when I faced opposition that I truly grew and/or excelled.  And surely, this was of God!

Remember that the same Lord Who sent a strong wind to deliver Moses and his fellow Israelites from Pharaoh and his army at the parting of the Red Sea also sent a strong wind against the Mediterranean Sea to buffet a little ship containing the disobedient and unfaithful prophet Jonah.  In both cases, of course, God had the best interest of His chosen servant at heart.

But the point is that, even if it was for differing purposes, both Moses and Jonah came up against prevailing winds.  So, let’s face it, the winds of opposition, whenever we encounter them, may very well be God-ordained!

After all, calm seas never made for skilled sailors!  It is only when we face some form of resistance that we grow stronger.  Ask any weightlifter!  It is only as we struggle that we succeed.  Ask any wrestler!  And it is only as we struggle and succeed that we grow more skillful, and more confident in the process!  Ask any Christian!

I once read that a ship in a harbor is safe; but that this is not what ships were made for.  So pray not for a life free of difficulty; but rather for the strength to overcome whatever difficulty may come your way!  You will be much better off for it in the long run.  And that, my friends, is no bluster!

SOURCES:

SCRIPTURAL BASIS:  https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Wind.

WINNEH THE POOH MOVIE:  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063819/;
and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie_the_Pooh_and_the_Blustery_Day.


NOTE: The FOX Theatre is, of course, a world famous downtown Atlanta landmark, second only in significance to the nearby Loews' Grand Theatre, where GONE WITH THE WIND premiered in 1939.  At the time, however, I must confess that, like any red-blooded American boy, I was far less focused on either GONE WITH THE WIND or WINNIE THE POOH and far more focused on the 1968 release of PLANET OF THE APES (starring Charlton Heston) as provocatively advertised on all the posters out in the foyer! 

Cf.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Theatre_(Atlanta)
and   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loew%27s_Grand_Theatre.


Comments are closed.

    Cleo E. Jackson, III

    Occasionally I will add
    a few thoughts to my blog. If you find them inspirational, I will be
    honored.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010

    Categories

    All