Contentment in the Clouds

Living in the mountains, I see a lot of wind. I also feel it and hear it. Feeling a gust of wind on a cold day is one thing, but sitting and watching it from the comfort of your home, ideally with a warm beverage in hand, is another thing.

I love watching the wind. Well, you can’t actually see wind, but I love watching the effects of wind. The dancing leaves, the swaying branches, all the buffeting and blowing... I love it. The strength and power of something completely invisible. Invisible and yet undeniably real.

But my favorite thing to watch in the wind is the clouds.

The Silent Movement of the Clouds

I remember the first moment I realized noticed them and their reaction to the wind. Watching a large white heap glide seamlessly and gracefully in between the peaks of the mountains, changing shape every moment fluidly and gracefully. It never stayed the same. It was new every moment, rushing its way to who knows where, at the very whim of the wind that held sway over it.

And the whole time it was silent.

There are so many connections we can draw between the spiritual life and God’s creation, but for this moment, I’d like to focus on that silence.

Surrender, Not Resistance

The trees, the grasses, the leaves, and even the flags in our front yard all stand in stark contrast to the wind in this way: their reaction to the wind involves a lot of noise. They interact with the wind, but it’s an interaction of resistance. The stand against the wind, and jerk, rattle, bend and sometimes even break against it.

Clouds, on the other hand, remain silent. Their attitude towards the wind is not one of resistance, but surrender. They know they are nothing against it’s moving power, and so they don’t fight it. They give in, and giving become a part of a beautiful dance of change, shift, and motion. They are silent. They are beautiful to watch. And they are peaceful.

Do We Move?

This is the question: How do we react to God’s grace and the impulses of the Holy Spirit in our lives? When we feel Him nudge, what in creation do we resemble?

Do we stand firm, stubborn, and resistant to Him like the trees in the wind?

Do we rattle and cause a huge fuss because we don’t want to follow Him?

Do you feel a lot of noise and confusion in your life as a result?

Maybe it’s time to become like the wind. Maybe it’s time to feel that nudge, and let go of what we want and desire. Maybe it’s time to give in to where He wants to lead us and guide us. Maybe it’s time to embrace surrender in exactly those moments when we want to resist.

The choice is ours. But I believe that if we choose to become like the wind, the shift and flow of our lives will become a thing of beauty. It will become a thing of silence. It will become rest.

Will we choose resistance or surrender?

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Gracie Tillman lives and works in Colorado as a missionary. She loves the outdoors, music, spending time with friends, and anything involving pasta. She strives to be a joyful follower of Jesus and live life to the full.

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