The winds woke me up. It was 3:30 a.m. and the gusts were approx. 55 mph. I was safe and snug in the house, but outside the storm was raging. Tropical Storm Debby was approaching.
By noon, the rains had let up, but the winds were still fierce. I sat and watched the branches of the avocado tree through the window. The branches would rise and fall with each gust. They would float up as high as possible, and then dip down low. The next thing you know they were being yanked sideways, back and forth. Yet in all of their movement, they seemed to have almost a graceful quality. Almost like an elegant dancer. They seemed to go where their partner led them...up high, down low, then side to side. The branches didn't move on their own...they gracefully followed where they were led to go.
I began to think about how those branches were formed. They were made to bend and sway. They were designed to have a 'give' to them. If they were too stiff, they would break at the slightest storm. The branches that were dead were easily broken. They had no 'give' at all and snapped.
God formed us in a similar way. He made us to be able to 'bend' in life's situations. Many times we are advised to be flexible. Don't expect too much, or depend too much on other people or circumstances. We can be disappointed. This is good advice. Like the branches we need to relinquish our will. Do you ever see a branch stubbornly refuse to move in a breeze? No. Lean and yield to each situation that God may place you in. Let Him lead you. Take His Hand and let your Partner guide you in every step of the Dance He has designed for you. Without your knowledge, your dance will be poised and graceful.
Be careful that you aren't a dead branch. If you don't have the Spirit of God flowing through you, you can become dead and brittle inside. You will break under the slightest pressure. Keep the Spirit alive through the Word and Fellowship with other believers.
Then dance...dance with the Wind...the Breath of God.
