I am quite sure that many of you have heard the story of how Kingman was started. It seems that a wagon train of the early settlers were cross through on their way to California when the Arizona winds began to blow harder than usual. The wagon master told the people it would be best if they stopped to rest until the wind stopped. They have been here ever since!
It is true that the winds blow often, and sometimes lasts for days, and are a cause for concern. Being bald, I don’t mind so much; but it is an altogether different story for my wife and many other ladies. Each Sunday I see some ladies and think that they got a new hair-do, but then I realize their new-hair-don’t is just a creation of the wind.
There are times that we complain about the wind; especially when we have planned an outdoors event. It is absolutely irritating when trying to have a picnic, holding on to your plate with one hand, and holding onto your hat with the other. Or, how about trying to play frisbee, only to find it beyond your reach. Or, trying to jet-ski or go boating with waves almost impossible to maneuver. Yes, the wind can be exasperating, but it can also be a blessing.
Imagine the smog over some of our country’s largest cities? If it were not for the wind blowing the smog away, we might suffer all sorts of raspatory problems. Or, what about different parts of Arizona that have extremely hot temperatures in the summer? The breeze, even when it blows harder than we would like, is welcome. As troubling as the wind can be, Scripture tells us that “God rides upon the winds…” and “…He brings His winds out of His treasuries.”
Have you ever considered that some of the natural elements are never to be cursed, but are to be received with thanksgiving? The rain, for example, refreshes the earth when parched and badly needed; that is, unless we have a picnic or sporting event planned. Or, how about the sun when it beats down upon us when we have chores to do outside; yet, the flowers and crops would never grow without it. Each of these, as well as a strong wind, can be a blessing when we understand and receive them in the right manner.
So, instead of being angry and unhappy when the wind blows at a time when it is not convenient for you, remember that it may be a blessing to someone else. The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that “God causes His rain to fall, and His sun to shine on the just, and the unjust, alike.”
-Pastor Jerry L. Dunn, Oak Street Baptist Church
