While living in Thailand a number of years ago, I learned how to windsurf on one of our family vacations. I’ll never forget one of the first things my instructor asked me before I began the challenging and painful process of learning this new sport: “What do you know about the wind?”
Wind is an interesting phenomenon. It can quickly pick up, let up, and change direction. In fact, wind is often equated with change; people fear the “winds of change.” (In church world, some would consider “change” a
“dirty" word!) Some say the “winds of change” will take you out to sea and you’ll be lost forever! And that’s actually true--it could happen!
There are really three things you can do in response to the “winds of change”:
- This one we’ve already mentioned--you can let the wind take you out to sea and be lost forever.
- Secondly, you can resist it or fight it! Or, just “stay home” and never deal with change. In my case with windsurfing, I could have chosen to just stay on the beach and never get out on the sea and encounter a new adventure (And often, “out on the sea” is where you'll find real adventure or make a difference in the world!).
- Thirdly, you can harness the wind or adjust to it in order to reach a desired destination. In other words, learn to work with the wind! Understand it and harness its power. Go somewhere, accomplish something, and make a difference!
In Thailand, I chose to work with the wind and learn a new sport. I sustained multiple bruises from falling hard on my board during the learning process. But it was worth it. I directed my windsurf board to a destination and then worked my way back to return the equipment. It was hard—yes,
but an amazing experience!
In this series, I want to discuss change! Now obviously not all change is good. But some change is both good and necessary.
