Just like every believer who has ever lived, when I go through trial, trouble, loss, sickness, and the death of loved ones, I find myself asking, why? It kind of reached a crescendo during Covid. I had more time to sit down in my mancave study area; surrounded by my books and journals. As I spent more time in prayer and reflection, it was as if God said, “Why not”?
While I was considering all these things, I had a couple of stories come to mind.
My granddaddy was a character. He was a farmer, but he had also been a county sheriff, a semi-politician, and chairman of the Davidson County Agricultural Association. Before he lost his speaking voice, he loved to tell stories, and being required to speak publicly, he was good at it. He told the same toastmaster jokes over and over, but we never got tired of hearing them. One that he shared often was the story of the six-year-old boy who had yet to speak a word. Then one night, at the supper table, without any warning, he said, “Mama, you burned the biscuits.” His parents were overjoyed, but couldn’t resist asking, “Son, why did you wait six years to start talking”? He simply replied, “Well, up until now everything has been alright.”
That is an old familiar joke, but the truth it holds is staggering when we are living through hard times. Sometimes, if things are always okay, we forget how desperately we need to lean upon the Lord every day. I’ve learned that anew recently.
It also brought to mind an experience when my son joined the Navy. I’m a land lover. I didn’t know a thing about the nautical world. So, I began to study the naval vessels, especially the aircraft carriers to which he was assigned. The most interesting aspect is when they get ready to launch the planes. You would think all the heavy lifting takes place on the flight deck, but there is one detail that goes almost unnoticed. Even with the power of jet engines and the catapult, the planes need the assist of the wind to more easily launch off the deck. In the control room, whether it is the captain, or the officer on watch, he will speak to the Helmsman and give him some navigational directions. They sound strange to the non-sailor, but they are simply navigational jargon for a command that is as old as sailing itself, “Bring her into the wind”.
In the church, we go through periods when we need to be reminded where our strength comes from. I never suppose for God, but I think there are times when our Heavenly Father turns to the great helmsman of the church, the Lord Jesus, and says, “Son, bring her into the wind”.
Sometimes it takes the wind in our faces for us to remember how to fly.
Hot Plate Ruminations 