Eyes closed, body still, a mild breeze brushed across my face. My mind floated back in time. I could see myself standing in my backyard, pushing my kids on the swing.
“Momma, how do we know God is real?”
The question seemed to pop out of the sky.
“We can feel Him.” How could I put this concept into words a child could understand when I was trying to grasp the concept myself? I grabbed some words and marched on.
“You know how you feel the wind when you’re swinging? You know it’s there even though you can’t see it. That’s God. We can’t see Him, but if we’re paying attention, we can feel Him.”
It was enough of an explanation for satisfy their young curious minds.
Now, nearly a decade later, sitting alone on my back porch, I opened my eyes.
I could feel the wind against my skin, playful and refreshing, but more importantly, I could see it.
The wind was moving the leaves of the trees. Like a sociologist researching primates’ behavior in the rainforest, I sat very still and watched the leaves.
They were taking turns. As some were gently lifted by the wind, others seemed completely untouched. Then a larger gust would come and all the leaves would move, but not all in the same direction. It was like a dance. They each had their special, unique role to play in this beautiful drama.
I think maybe that’s what God looks like in our lives. He touches each one of us individually and helps us to move. Sometimes it’s vigorous and sometimes it’s so slight we almost miss it.
But I think God is more than just wind. I think He’s air. Even when we can’t feel the air, it’s there. We breathe it in and it sustains us. Even when we can’t feel God in our lives, He’s there, guiding, guarding, and sustaining us.
Psalm 139:9-10 reminds us that the guiding, guarding and sustaining will never end. “If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.”
Whether you need a big rush of God right now or just a gentle breath on your skin, I pray you’ll feel Him today and know He is there.