This afternoon I looked out our front window and the scene that faced me got me humming a song from 1968.

I was looking at our 30 foot high maple tree, blowing in the wind like it was being beaten into submission by an angry UFC heavyweight.

It’s remarkable that in an instance you can be transported to a song you haven’t heard in dozens of years. Oh, the song? It was “Windy” by the Association.

The song describes two sides of the wind: there’s the “Who’s tripping down the streets of the city, smiling at everybody she sees” side of the wind, and then there’s the “And windy has stormy eyes” side of the wind.

Now, I’m almost certain that the song is about a person, a girl I would wager, who has huge mood swings. She can be great to be with, or she can be your worst nightmare.

Well, the wind today in my corner of the world has all the makings of a horror show … just add some dark skies, lightning flashes and the stage is set.

Earlier in the morning, I experienced the force of the wind personally. I rode my bike in a “Ride for Refuge” fundraiser. It was a 25 km loop during which I affirmed why I like to ride off-road.

For one thing, the trees make a great buffer for the wind. Secondly, it is so boring riding in straight lines with only the pavement and the gravel shoulder to look at.

And then there was the wind – yes, the kind of wind with stormy eyes. Some of the gusts were so strong that if you stopped peddling you would just stop, no coasting.

I wanted to keep about a 20 km/hr average speed, but when the wind was against me, I could,  at times, only muster about 11km/hr.

But when the wind was lambasting me from the side, it literally pushed my bike sideways, so that I had to over-correct my steering.

I made it though. Once the road changed direction, it was clear sailing and I made up for the time I had lost going against the wind.

When I turned into the parking lot at the end of the ride, I was glad to be getting out of the wind for good. The wind hadn’t beaten me; it didn’t put me into any submission hold, but it didn’t make me feel like I had won either.

I knew I had been in a battle and I had a healthy respect for my opponent. In fact, the next time I ride the road I want the version of the wind that’s “smiling at everyone she meets”. I don’t want to do battle again … well, at least not for a while.

I’m a little tired; I need a rest.

Here’s the thing: Life circumstances can smile on you or they can have stormy eyes. Though we all would love to have a life filled with smiles, like the wind that’s so temperamental, so are the situations we find ourselves in. With God’s help we persevere through the gusts against us, and we thank God for the tailwinds that propel us along. This push and pull in life strengthens us like muscles that are stretched and then relaxed. It’s all part of how God seeks to build us into the women and men of His design.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What kind of wind do you find yourself in right now, and how is God assisting? Leave your comment below.