This is a snap shot of a road I am being called to travel. Carved out of the side of a mountain in order to connect isolated community with the rest of the country. A gravelly, rough hewn trail beckoning my very soul. Am I listening? Can I hear the call? At first I guffawed; "who me?" Really? But the Holy Spirit was calling louder and louder as details began to unfold. A symphony of wind-like sounds echoing in my heart and voila, I hear it.
Winds of change are all around us. Just yesterday I fought the dust and debris dancing around in the high winds. My hair product did me little good! On second thought, it did exactly what it was created to do. When the wind blew my hair willy-nilly it held it fast! I felt wild and wind swept... it was fabulous.
This week is Pentecost in the life of the church. A time when we read about ancient people writing about an ancient time when the winds of change came down upon them and life was never the same. A time in the Hebrew scriptures when the writers tell about God messing with language and creating a babel and then a time in the early church when they better understood each other even though they were all from different places. Canada is the Acts passage. A diverse place where all peoples come together speaking different languages and enjoying personal culture while living in this land. Aboriginal peoples welcoming the attempts at reconciliation, Muslims sharing prayer time, Jewish synagogues opening their doors and people who declare themselves "spiritual but not religious". All those faithful to something within that is called spirit ... that which connects us to each other which is beyond ourselves and in-explainable. What is it? I believe it is a holy spirit which breathes life into our being. That which we depend on for our very life; seven generations behind us and seven generations before ... a spirit that is suspended in time ....
(Photo by Michelle Breadner Robinson, Owen Sound Ontario)
So as you live life with some discomfort at times remember that the holy spirit is beckoning you to hear it and listen carefully. The discomfort you feel may be due to heading in the wrong direction or imposed upon us by others (Michelle putting booties on her sweet little dog to keep her feet warm) or it may just be the winds of change in our lives which does not always feel comfortable at first!
May the winds of change blow you in the direction of hope, peace and reconciliation. May you breathe life into your dreams and hold them in high regard as you are called to be the best you can be. Take that road, wear those booties trying to find your comfort zone, and embrace the style the holy spirit blows your way! Blessings....