The Wind in the Trees -- Breath of the Spirit

One morning I looked through my window and watched a breeze gently ruffling the leaves of the trees around my house. Young Spring leaves shimmered in varying shades of green as currents of air lifted and moved against their surface.

Leaves brushed against one another, rustling and rubbing, singing softly as they fluttered in the breeze. Still, I could not see the actual movement of wind itself -- I only heard the evidence of its passing.

I was reminded of the invisible quality of the air around us. It is only the effects of its movement that we see, not the force itself.

The Spirit of God is also invisible, not seen or heard with audible sounds, yet, the effects of its presence can be more powerful than the mightiest of category 10 tornadoes, or as gentle as a breath of air that barely kisses a silky feather.

I smiled as I watched the leaves of maple and oak trees flutter in the breeze and saw the smaller twigs dance up and down on the heavier branches. Colors changed as sunlight bounced upon their undersides, causing a shifting dance of light and shadow. The leaves were sensitive to the touch of that invisible breeze. They moved and shimmered in a most pleasing way.

Then, I noticed a pine tree in the center of my neighbor’s yard. The pine tree stood stiff, its branches and needles unmoving in the gentle breeze. The pine tree’s needles had darkened as spring settled in. The bristles were dry and stiff, unresponsive to the gentle touch of the refreshing breeze slipping past. The pine looked out of place, surrounded by tender, dancing leaves – like a blob of driftwood in a sea of shimmering wavelets.

I wondered how often I had been unresponsive to the invisible Spirit moving in my life.

I heard a woman bitterly complain to another church member after the Sunday morning worship service, saying, "I got nothing out of that sermon today. I mean, what did the preacher say? Nothing."

The preacher had read a passage from I Samuel, and spoken on the prayer of Hannah. Perhaps his sermon had not been eloquent, but could not the Spirit work through the reading of his Holy Word? Could this woman have been as the pine, stiff and dry, unaware that the breath of the Holy Spirit had moved across her heart?

Do you feel the effects of the Spirit moving through your soul? Are you tender and responsive to the presence of one who cannot be heard or seen? Let your life shimmer with reflected light, let the colors God has painted upon your life glow in beauty, move at his slightest touch – then you, like the tree, will be in the center of the Father’s will. You can be a living testimony of His presence.

The next time a breeze touches your skin, close your eyes and marvel in its presence. Let it remind you of the Holy, invisible God who lives within your soul.

The photo I've included with this article shows the beautiful, flaming colors of Fall in Windsor, NC, at Hope Plantation.