A Summer's Cold Wind

The winds of change always blow and no season lasts forever

This week was a reminder that the end of summer draws nigh. Although, you would’ve been hard-pressed to believe it last week. The sun was in its full glory, beating down upon the earth with its fiery fists. Despite summer seeming at the height of its power, it is a deception. A deception that was betrayed by a small cold wind that began to blow this week. The sun had lost its flaming grip in the blink of an eye. The sharp wind quickly cut the legs out from under the sun, allowing the temperature to plummet and bringing welcomed relief to all of us Michiganders. If you stop and think about it, it is strange to know autum’s arrival is just around the corner. The sun is burning just as brilliantly and blazing hot as it was the day before, yet its power is diminishing as the slightly crisp wind whispers to us. A tangible paradox flows across our skin as we exist temporarily in the in-between—the now and the yet-to-come. It is a reminder that change is coming, the death of what is, and the promise of what will one day come and take its place. As I pulled into my parents’ driveway, yellow leaves began to twirl like dervishes as they gracefully danced to the earth. Fall is coming, and she rides triumphantly over summer on a cold wind, but even she knows that seasons always change.

Seasons are not as strong as they may appear. While held tight in their grip, we feel the end is remote—their vigor is unassailable. But this has never been true and never will be true until that final glorious season when the King of Kings returns and a new perpetual season reigns upon the earth. Until then, do not despair nor cling too tightly to the seasons we find ourselves in, but live in them with wisdom, knowing that this too shall pass. Too often, we cannot see past our own noses and think that whatever we are experiencing, whether joyful or sorrowful, is the way it will always be. This simply isn’t true. You can never step into the same river twice. The seasons change, and we must be ready to see where God is taking his pilgrim people next. 

Do not resist it. The winds of change always come, and we are helpless before them. We do not know where they come from or where they are going, but they will come. They are often watching, waiting for us to revel in our strength. Comfortable in our misguided self-assurance of a season that won’t change. It is at this point that the winds of change laugh and are compelled to act by our haughty self-conceit. They blow in, knock over the chair out from under us, and watch us tumble down. I know I have taken a tumble or two or three or more. Maybe you have, too? If there is one thing I’m sure of in this life, it is that little is certain. I used to hear a saying in the Marine Corps from time to time: "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” I find this true not only in war but in much of life in general. We humans try to control as best we can, but ultimately, one is in control: our Heavenly Father. We must remind ourselves that in this age of electricity, silicon, and microchips, we do not know as much as we think. We are not as in control as we believe. Seasons change, and we must learn to recognize and embrace the winds of change, taking each season as it comes and not holding too tightly to the seasons that must go. Listen for summer’s cold wind.

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I created this blog to exercise the ideas that have haunted my mind. This blog will discuss and contemplate story, imagination, formation, Christian education, icons, symbols, pictures, and poetry. Journey with me as we delve into the deep cavernous thoughts of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Malcolm Guite, James K.A. Smith, N.T. Wright, Charles Taylor, and The Holy Scriptures. If you are interested in or hate this content, join the conversation, as I will blog about these subjects and authors every Sunday.