Rising With the Wind

Recently my 8-year old niece has been around.  She’s visited frequently because of all the activity with my wife being pregnant.  The other day, she was playing with my 2-year old son using an empty infant swimming pool as her toy. My son had one side, she had the other, and she would pull it around waving it up and down singing “Let’s go fly a kite…” A song I sang when I was about her age.  My son would soon say “I love this song” as he laughed with the activity.

Kites are fun, which brings us to this week’s quote…

A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with, the wind.  ~ John Neal

If you’ve every tried to fly a kite on a day when it was too calm, it is really frustrating.  You may run a little way tot ry to make it rise; it does for a brief moment, then descends.  Ugh!  That is similar to finally getting the “perfect” opportunity to do something.

When conditions seem perfect, they may not actually be.  The time to start may be now, in the midst of having some opposition.

Don’t look for “calm” times to do something, use the wind to your advantage, allowing you to “rise”!

 

Monday Mentionings: Through Foes, the Work Goes - Nehemiah 4

With school about to start, it seems that people are becoming busier. Whether it is physically busy or just mentally busy, the school year brings busyness. Sometimes the more busy you are the easier it is in life because it becomes such a routine for most.

As we press on to "build the wall", we looked at the fourth chapter of Nehemiah on Sunday. The builders were following Nehemiah to get the job finished, but they faced opposition. We, too, face opposition in life. Whether it is from something big or small, opposition is all around. How will you deal with it??? Think about these applications from the lesson...

1. When was the last time you were provoked? How did you deal with it? Did it make your "blood boil"? Was it a comment about you or someone else? Pray that the next time you are provoked you will handle it with total maturity and steadiness. Don't let someone try to keep you from "building your wall"!
2. When we really want something, we tend to talk about it a lot. Just notice a child that really wants a new toy in the store. Did they stop after they didn't get it? They will keep asking until they got what they wanted. What do you want God to do with your life? Ask God to give that to you. Remember that His will is what matters, but persistence is a big key to praying!
3. The people who were in opposition to Nehemiah plotted to try to make sure they thwarted the plans of the people. Satan is out doing the same to us. He wants us to give in to our fleshly desires. He wants us to compromise our morals. He wants us to fail! Remember to keep your Armor of God on at all times, knowing that you are susceptible.
4. We need the protection of God at all times. As in #3, the Armor of God gives protection, but that isn't all that will give protection. God himself will provide a safe place for us to be. As you stand guard and watch, remember to ask God to protect you - feet (where you go), eyes (what you see), hands (what you do), mouth (what you say), ears (what you hear), and mind (what you think).

How has God been using you lately?

In Him ~