Fly A Kite

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he beaches of North Carolina are perhaps one of my most favorite places to visit.  In the summer months, they are teaming with people from all over the United States with some people from Canada making the long journey to visit the coast.  I do not like to visit the beach at this time.  Too many people make it impossible for me to walk or sit on the beach in quiet solitude and think, read, or watch the water.

Late September or early October is my favorite time to go to the shore.  The climate is nice and cool, the beaches are almost deserted, and a sense of calm and tranquility settles over the shoreline.  It is possible to sit on the beach for hours and see no one and the crashing of the waves provides a wonderful and peaceful reminder that God in all his power is in complete and utter control.  The one who keeps the oceans of the world in their places orders my life as well and he attends to every detail.

In addition to the waves and the shore, however, there is one other element that is constantly present at the coast—wind!   Rarely have I visited the beach when it was completely calm.  The waves cause the air around them to move, creating the wind that makes it impossible to set up umbrellas or put down beach towels.  But the wind is a necessary part of life and I remember learning a great lesson at the beach one summer with my family.

Late one afternoon, I stepped out onto the deck of the beach house and looked toward the shore.  I could see the waves crashing against the sand and there were several people walking in the cool of the evening in search of those ever-elusive sand dollars that occasionally wash up on shore.  As I scanned the horizon I saw several kites soaring in the air.  I just stood there and watched them as they climbed higher into the sky.  Occasionally they would dive, swoop, and do some great acrobatics before returning to their position in the air.  The longer I watched, the more fascinated I became and I determined to get myself one.

The next morning, I went to one of the local stores and purchased a small, triangular, delta kite.  That evening, I walked to the shore, assembled the kite, attached it to the string, and launched it into the air.  At first, the kite wobbled, and crashed into the sand.  But as I turned more and more into the wind, it responded vigorously and began its long steady climb into the sky.  The more line I fed it, the higher it went, and the higher it went, the stronger the wind blew, and the stronger the wind blew, the more fun it became to fly that kite!

That is when I learned my lesson.  There are three things necessary to fly a kite: 1) string 2) someone to hold the string and 3) wind!  Is this not a picture of the Christian life?  All these elements are present as we walk with God are they not?  The wind of life is constantly blowing against us.  At every turn it seems we are faced with either gentle breezes, or strong gusts.  We enjoy those moments when the wind caresses us but inevitably, the wind grows stronger and we find ourselves face to face with an impossible force.  Forward progress is impossible, and standing itself becomes a challenge.

Just at this moment, Jesus appears and teaches us a great lesson.  Jesus doesn’t mean for us to fight against the wind, he means for us to use it to climb to greater heights with him.  He gets us ready, attaches a tether to us, and launches us into the wind.  We may shake, we may do loop-the-loops, and we may toss from side to side, but we are always in contact with him.  As our faith grows, he releases more and more of the tether and we climb higher and higher, using the wind to help us fly.  Without the wind, a kite is useless, never realizing its full potential; and we are the same way. It is only in the in winds of adversity and trial that we are able to take wing and fly.

Moses understood the power of wind and how God can use it to turn impossible situations into opportunities to experience his glory.  Exodus 14:21 says, “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided.”  In this passage we see a great truth.  The wind that night was fierce.  It takes wind and a lot of it to divide a sea but that is exactly what God did.  In the midst of impossible situations, God did not send a breeze, H sent a strong wind.  The result was the people walking through on dry ground.

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herever you are in your walk with God today, please remember that wind is not to be feared.  God sends the winds for our benefit, to grow our faith, and to cause us to climb higher and higher in our relationship with him.  So, the next time you are at the seashore learn a lesson from the wind.  In the midst of the strong gusts, God does not want you to run or to be afraid.  Instead, He wants you to fly a kite!!  Have a great day!!