My husband makes me feel very special every Mother’s Day (and every other day for that matter). I know the “official” day hasn’t come yet, but I got some gifts this past weekend. First of all, I have been really chomping at the bits to reupholster my dining room chairs for a little over a year. I just want to freshen them up a bit and get them protected from the inevitable kool-aid spill. So, on Saturday, Jeremy and I and the kids took off on an adventure to find new material for the chairs. If you know me very well, you understand what a HUGE undertaking it is for me to step into the land of decorating. I get very overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to narrow my choice down to “just one” and it takes a while to process the infinite number of color and pattern possibilities. I really hate that about myself. Last year, I bought an espresso (dark brown almost black) leather sofa and love seat and our curtains are burgundy. I know guys, you are probably skipping really quickly through this part and I really don’t blame you, but we girls really enjoy hearing about decorating and such, so I’ll try to make this brief so you won’t have to scroll so far down the page. Anyway, I’ve been wanting to get something to match both of those colors and starting to really prepare our living room for a burgundy chair and ottoman. I found the perfect match. It’s in stripes, which I love because it’s not too girly but yet it has the colors that aren’t so manly. I also bought some clear vinyl to cover the chairs until the kids get a wee bit older so I can wipe them off easily without staining the seats. I HATE plastic over furniture (and I just had a flash back of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding with the plastic covered sofa… yikes!), but I refuse to spend money every year on new material for the chairs. That was a LOVELY gift! I also got a new wind chime and hook to hang by the front door of our house. It has some of the most beautiful chimes…. not clanging and not brash, just a real deep beautiful tone to them. With my bedroom window open, I can hear them ring out… it’s beautiful!
Which brings me to the point of my post today. (Oh yes, there is more!)
I have had a love affair with chimes for most of my life. I love hearing them be blown around and making beautiful noises as they are blown… and it got me thinking. The Bible describes the Holy Spirit as wind in many areas of scripture, but it really began brewing in me last night. After coming home from a wonderful gathering, I noticed the wind was blowing just a little bit and my wind chimes were beginning to move around and make beautiful sounds. Jeremy immediately headed to our bedroom to open the window so I could hear my beautiful chimes as I fell asleep last night. As I was taking off my makeup, I believe God dropped something into my spirit about my fascination with wind chimes. I cannot tell you how often I have said the words, “God just wants to pick us up and play us.” I realized last night that we are all like wind chimes. The Spirit of God is blowing and if we are assembled together (positioned where we are supposed to be…. in the example of wind chimes; held together by strings and unified together, each unique and individual READY to be blown by the wind and played), the Spirit of God will blow on us and begin to produce the most BEAUTIFUL melodies that have ever been heard or played. Each little wind blown song is different… but each is just as beautiful as the next. Of course, all of us must be in tune or we will not sound good, but when we begin looking beyond just the one note we play and begin looking at how lovely a GROUP is and how lovely it sounds when the harmonies begin breaking out and realize it isn’t about us as individuals, but it is about a BODY…. we will begin making beautiful music together - along with the wind of the Spirit.
John 3:8 (The Message)
“You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.”
Live Life Loud!
~Sandy
