Out of Place

 

Since moving to this area fifteen years ago, I cannot recall a period of time when the winds have been so strong so often. It seems as if we are living in a world of constantly flying leaves and sailing trash. Allergies have been ignited with the help of the wind and, when the temperature drops below sixty degrees, you feel the need to bundle up like you are heading into a blizzard. It is strange indeed.

As I made my way through the neighborhood, I came across this ceiling fan that had no ceiling. It had obviously been replaced and had been set at the curb to be picked up. What caught my attention, and what does not show up in the photo, was the fact that the fan was still spinning. As the winds blew, the blades rotated. It was if the homeowner had replaced the fan and failed to let the fan know. It just kept on doing what a fan is created to do.

Sometimes we can find ourselves out of place. A move takes us far from familiar faces and relationships. A change in health disrupts our routines. The loss of a job makes us question our identity. The death of someone we have always counted on leaves us feeling adrift instead of anchored. Life can bring us to places where we feel like a ceiling fan without a ceiling, out of place and waiting at the curb.

But, like this fan, we can keep doing what we are created to do. We can still find our identity in God’s love for us. We can still live into our purpose of honoring God by being loving and kind and gracious to all. We can find our footing, believing that wherever we find ourselves, God is already there with us. We can keep being who we are and keep doing what we were created to do, regardless of what life brings our way.

In the Gospel of John we read, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” In all our tribulations, we can find peace, the peace that comes from knowing that God’s love as revealed in Jesus is stronger than anything else. In all our tribulations, we can find peace, the peace that comes from knowing who we are and what we were created to do.

Peace.