We don’t need a big sign from God to know that it is time for us to move.   ~~~   Don’t we all want the wind beneath our wings so we can fly high in life? Of course we do! We all cried our eyes out listening to Bette Midler sing about it. We need the wind beneath our wings to fly, or do we? More on that later, but speaking of wind, have you ever tried to fly a kite without any? I must say I have. Now I know you can’t fly a kite without wind, but if you have kiddos you probably have as well! I bought a kite for my girls when they were little and even though it wasn’t a windy day, they wanted to run through the back yard trying to fly it. Meaning I was running through the backyard trying to fly it. That didn’t last long. To fly a kite up to the highest height, you MUST have wind. If you don’t, you have to wait for a windy day. I’m not usually waiting for wind. I don’t fly kites these days unless I’m at the beach, but I want to tell you about a girl that found herself in a situation where she really needed the wind to blow. In the movie True Spirit, based on the true story of 16 year old Jessica Watson, she became the youngest sailor to circumnavigate the globe, ALL BY HERSELF. She was sixteen! It’s a pretty amazing story and her journey was full of adventure and challenges. Now while the big screen did play things up a bit more, compared to the actual events, there was a time when she was out at sea and no wind was blowing. There she sat, waiting. In an interview she had this to say about that part of the journey. "In reality, you never get such long stretches without wind," she said. "Often, it's more like a couple of days. And even within that, you might get a few puffs along the way. It is, however, very true to what that experience is like for a sailor, how incredibly frustrating it is to just be at the mercy of the elements and just waiting for the wind to come back. There's nothing you can do. Emotionally, they were some of the toughest days." She was at the mercy of the elements, waiting for the wind. What are you at the mercy of? What elements of life are you up against? What are you waiting for to either arrive or pass on by so you can move? For 16 year old Jessica, she needed wind to move forward, but she never walked away from the adventure even in her waiting. What about you and me? Do we really need wind beneath our proverbial wings? No. Birds don’t need it. Their flight is determined by lift, the force that opposes the weight of their wings. They simply must move their wings and fly the way God designed them to fly. They aren’t sitting around on limbs waiting to move. If today you are waiting for some MIGHTY WIND to blow INTO your life so you can finally fly, you’ve grounded yourself. Maybe where you are today is you’re exhausted and maybe even afraid to move. Don’t believe the lie that YOU are at the mercy of the elements of this life. God is asking, “what are you waiting for”? In 1 Kings chapter 19 we get a glimpse of a scene in the life of the greatest of all Old Testament prophets, Elijah. Instead of being alone out at sea, waiting for the wind, he was alone in a cave, feeling He was at the mercy of the elements and circumstances that surrounded him. God provided a gentle reminder that HE was and will always be, in control. 1 Kings 19:11-12 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. There was quite the display of elements out on the mountain that day. God controls them all and is in fact IN them all, but that day, He used a still small voice to remind Elijah He was not alone and there was still work to be done. You see Elijah wasn’t moving because he was afraid. He was believing the lie that he was alone and there was no hope. What are you believing Elijah? What are you doing here Elijah? What are you waiting for? You are not alone. There are others waiting for YOU, so go. It’s time. You don’t need a mighty wind, shooting star or some BIG sign to move into where God wants you. You need only be still and listen for the gentle whisper of the Father reminding you of who you are and how He wants to move you. That’s the truth. What are you waiting for? It’s time to fly. I’m Lori Cline.