Catching the Wind

The first (and only) time I went wind-surfing was quite an experience.

Most of the time I spent just trying to stay on the board. Standing upright was a major accomplishment.

And occasionally a speed boat would pass by, and the waves would wash over my feet, and I would be pitched into the water, and begin the awkward process of trying to remount the board.

It wasn’t fun. And there sure didn’t seem to be any point to it.

And then…I must have had my feet pointed in just the right direction.  And I must have had the sail tilted at just the right angle. And I must have had the board slanted in just the right way, because things changed.

I had caught the wind.

The transformation was as dramatic and immediate as it was exciting.

Suddenly, I was skimming across the water. The board was moving in ways I was directing. The same waves that had capsized me were no longer obstacles—they were part of the thrill. It was fun.

Catching the wind can turn a life, or an organization, or a church, completely around. Instead of simply bobbing along, trying to just maintain balance, life becomes fun. A business enterprise, or a church, or an organization, or even a life for that matter, that has caught the wind is transformed—given meaning and purpose. And goes somewhere. And all the things that had once been obstacles become simply ways to exercise the freedom and power that come from having a focus.

Jesus says, “The wind blows where it will.”

And blessed are those who catch it.

-Max Biesenthal

Max Biesenthal, currently LCEF Vice President, Ministry Support, has taken a circuitous route to his current position. Along the way, he has been a pastor, motivational speaker, author, sales manager, life coach, executive director of a Lutheran high school, editor and free-lance writer. In every situation, Max’s intent was to pay attention to what God was doing.