My kite date with my husband started like the picturesque ending of a movie. The sun had begun its sinking course towards the line where the blues of the ocean and the sky collide. Brandon chased seagulls in the surf with seven-month-old Ellie on his shoulders, his muscular arms in a reverse akimbo to hold her tightly to her throne. They skirted around the lapping of the waves, soaking up the last bits of summer. The joy of the afternoon eventually weighed heavy on Ellie’s eyes, and she nodded off to sleep, lulled to sleep by the susurration of the waves.
As Ellie napped we unraveled the tangled strings of the kite. This would be our first time flying a kite together; in fact, it had been over two decades since either of us had taken a kite to flight.
One of the most amazing things about kites is their timelessness. They draw spectators. They cause people, young and old, to pause. Something about seeing a kite tells your soul to slow down and take note of the moment…it is a moment that is special. Kites tell us to see something that isn’t otherwise visible – they show us how to see the wind. A masterful kite runner looks to move into the wind. They see potential is something that cannot be seen and can only be felt. The wind cannot be touched – but it is there. It cannot be seen, but its presence is undeniable.
As we stood, our toes massaging the grains of the Jersey Shore sand and our eyes fixated on the sky, our little kite took flight. It soared claiming the billowy dunes below it, creating a tiny portrait of moving art as it hugged the wind to stay in flight. The wind whipped in changing directions and Brandon masterfully directed it towards each change, maneuvering its position with the dual handle system that attached the kite to us. When the wind changed, the kite fell; and unless Brandon was able to quickly redirect the kite’s approach to the wind, it would plummet, crashing forcefully on the sand.
Against the wind, kites soar. With the wind they plummet. We all have winds in our lives, winds that may at times feel oppressive, ever-changing, and often unexpected, but if we turn into them we have the ability to soar. If we run from them, pretend they are not there, or disengage from them, we will plummet, not reaching our full potential.
Like kites we have the opportunity to maximize the unpredictable currents of the wind – we can set flight to our full potential by looking at exactly that which we imagined a hindrance to us as the opposite – as our fuel, as exactly what makes us soar. Without these winds we cannot fly. A kite without the wind at its face is merely a piece of cloth or plastic. Against adversity it shines. It becomes that which it was created to be.
In the same way, you can create something out of nothing if you choose to turn into the wind – to face the truth of the direction is challenges you and then let yourself be challenged and blown until you shine and soar and become a visual point of encouragement and beauty to others – people wide and far who might catch glimpse of you in glorious flight.
Stop avoiding the winds – or obstacles, challenges, trials and changes – in your life and instead turn towards them. In doing so you will not only fly, but you will also rise to new heights and will display beauty you might not have known you had.
There is more to life than we can see and there is more to us than we can see. Even more importantly, there is more to the purpose and potential that God sees in us than we can see. He can see the entire picture of our lives – He knows what has happened, what is happening and what will happen, and He is working to make all things work out for our good. God is for us, not against us. He loves us. He loves us with a love unseen, like the wind, but like the wind, can be clearly felt. He uses the challenges of our lives not only to strengthen us but to set us to full flight. Our flight is beautiful and it invites others into this wonderful world of love.
As you consider yourself as a kite over the next few days, here are some ways you can really soar to new levels of beauty and joy:
- See winds of your life as ways to elevate you to new levels of sky you would have not otherwise had the opportunity to explore and see
- Be willing to change direction as needed, but go bravely and boldly towards the wind
- Know that it is when you are being most challenged that you have the opportunity to be the most beautiful and to shine for others to see
- Embrace that the winds of your life are the means to which allow you to become the person you were intended to be `
Go fly your kite with joy today. Face with winds with enthusiasm and gratitude.
Confidently yours,
Trish