He makes winds his messengers, …flames of fire his servants. Psalm 104:4 (NIV)

The hand-written sign, “Pick Your Own,” hung on the tired wooden fence surrounding the field of gladioli dancing in the soft Scottish breeze. As we opened the creaky gate, my daughter, Jordan, walked on her tiptoes, trying to stand higher than the surrounding stalks of colorful blooms. We quickly exchanged a five Pound note for pairs of scissors in an honesty box. We spent the next half hour seeking the perfect flowers to place in a vase on the table in our rental cottage.

Our routine continued every Sunday afternoon for the next two months. I grasped her hand as we made our way down the path leading to the gladioli garden. She swung an empty basket in her free hand, anticipating what colors she might choose for the week. We both loved the earthy smell of the garden, the striking beauty of the blooms, and moments of tranquility.

Our final Saturday night, the pitter-patter of Jordan’s bare feet on the hallway floor kept perfect cadence with the raindrops pelting our bedroom window. The symphony of misery came to a crescendo as Jordan blew through the door, accompanied by an assault of wind on our tiny house.

She climbed into our bed, resting her head on my shoulder, “The garden—this wind—the flowers are just too tall.  Why is it so windy?”

A week of rain had kept us away from our lovely spot, so I gave her my most hopeful answer, “The weather here doesn’t change without the wind. God sends it to chase away the rain.”

The following day, we woke to the warmth of sunshine. As we rounded the final corner on our path, the garden came into full view confirming Jordan’s fears. Several stalks of flowers lay scattered over the soil, and most of the plants had been unable to withstand the harsh gales from the night before.

Jordan opened the gate. In the back corner crouched the gardener. We watched as she filled a metal bucket with the bulbs exposed by the eroding wind and rain the night before.  Suddenly, my sweet child placed her five Pound note in the honesty box, grabbed her own bucket, and whispered, God’s letting us take our garden home.

When God creates change, it is rarely a comfortable transition.

Still, His actions are always motivated by His love for us.  He cares so profoundly that He sends the winds of change to help us unearth our priorities and start again. Jesus promises the process will not prevail against a house (a life) built on a solid foundation of faith. (Matthew 7:27)

Do you feel it, too, though? The resistance? The initial feeling of loss? The need to keep your life together when your world is falling apart?

I have a confession.  During the last two years, I decided I hated the phrase, “the new normal”.  My lack of control obscures my view of the future, which creates anxiety.  I’m overwhelmed.

Our reassurance for these times can be found in pages of Scripture, as we are reminded God controls the wind and our situations.

• Psalm 33:6
  • By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, the starry host by the breath of His mouth.
• Genesis 8:1
  • But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and He sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.
• Exodus 14: 21-22
  • Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land.
• Matthew 7:25
  • And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
• Matthew 8:26
  • He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.

Just as we can’t see or control the wind, we can’t see or manipulate the will of God. The great thing is that we can shift from a position of resistance to the acceptance of Our Heavenly Father’s authority because of our faith.  It is here you can begin to ask God what He wants to reveal to you.  You are starting through the first phase of change—the ending. As you move through this phase, it is normal to feel the loss and grieve what you know.

What are some practical steps that will help you navigate the initial part of a change?