SPITTING in the WIND

SPITTING in the WIND

You have tried your utmost to assist someone. You have stayed and prayed with someone. You have nursed them and you have pursed them. Still you see no obvious results. Anything you have given has been piddled away and they need more another day. It seems your every effort has been exhausted and you are not effecting nor affecting any change. You feel like you are spitting in the wind.

Your dreams are not being realized. You want what you perceive to be the best for the object of your attentions. You think, “if he/she would only do this, only do that, eat this, eat that, he/she would be better, thinner, heavier.”If he or she would stop drinking, gambling, cheating, getting high. If he or she would stop smoking, bingeing, gorging, cursing, stealing. You feel like you are spitting in the wind.

Things are not working out for you, yourself. You applied for that position and did not get it. You want to lose weight but eat up a storm everyday anyway. You have chronic health issues and doctor like crazy but still suffer and become depressed. You are neither moving forward nor backward but are stagnating. No matter what you do, your lot does not improve. You feel like you are spitting in the wind.

How many times have you heard of or lived through scenarios such as those mentioned above? Who cannot relate to the feelings of futility, at times, in our lives? “The best laid-plans of mice and men go awry...” credited to William Shakespeare, capture the essence of what happens when we plan and our plans fail. Again, how many times have you felt as if you were spitting in the wind? Just be sure the wind is at your back. You could be spitting in your own face, no pun intended.

Where can you turn? To whom can you go? You may have broken relationships. You may be broke. You may have experienced the death of a loved one. You may have serious health issues of your own or a family member’s ill health with which to deal. You don’t have to continue spitting in the wind.

There is HOPE and considering the resiliency of human beings made in the Image and Likeness of God, we can hope for a better day. Hope springs eternal because we have the God-given Gift of Hope. Our Hope lies in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Through Him, with Him, and in Him we have our being. He gave His Life for us and we owe Him ours. We owe it to Him to be a hope-filled people. We ought not to throw His Gift of hope back in His Face. Take it, grasp it, feed on it, be nourished by it, emit it, not remit it. Internalize and visualize the active Virtue, the Gift of hope. Exponentially, hope begets more hope and so on.
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“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.”

William James.
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Dare to Trust. Trust in the Lord. Trust that He hears our hope-filled prayer. Trust that He will answer. Trust and Faith go hand in hand. Faith is a God-given Gift. We may say to a friend, “I trust you.” “I have faith in you.” What a Friend we have in Jesus. We trust Him. We have faith in Him. He trusts us to accept His Gifts. He has more faith in us, than we do in ourselves.

Throughout Jesus’ life, from infancy to adulthood, He accepted the authority of His Mother and His Step-father in humility setting an example for us. His public life, His Passion and Death seemed a futility, yet we did not see Him spitting in the wind. He did what He was called to do and He did it with great humility, patience, and perseverance. He had great fortitude and integrity. He literally laid down His Life for us. To death, we ought to do the same. How is it we often feel we are spitting in the wind? Should we not do as Christ did, persevere in humility until our own resurrections, our re-births into eternal Life?

Jesus came to show us the way to eternal life. He still is showing us a life of Hope, a life of Faith, a life of Love. Our God is a living God. He is not dead as are idols. He is alive through us. Let us live and breathe Jesus. Let us embrace life, all life.

When we have done all we can possibly do to help someone, our brother and/or sister in Christ, and it appears our efforts are in vain, we have not spat in the wind. All efforts, all prayers are heard and known by our Father. At this point it is advisable to purposefully let go, and let God do His work upon this precious one. His encapsulating love for this child He has created far exceeds the love we have for that person.

Our human understanding is limited unlike God’s omniscience, all-knowing Divine nature. He well understands every aspect of the situation in which the object of our care and prayer is subject to in his/her life. We must permit and trust our Father will handle these situations with His brand of justice in His perfect timing according to His Holy Will. Perhaps that for which we pray may not be for the benefit of the person or persons’ souls. What seems to be evident is unclear and what appears to be discordant is actually not so. We just don’t know.

Knowing in part only does not give a clear picture of an overall situation. Hindsight teaches us more than foresight. Spitting in the wind uses a lot of energy. Its’ counterpart is hitting the head and/or collective heads against a brick wall. There comes the time when all vain efforts must cease for our own sanity. When all is said and done and no change has been effected, it is time to quite literally let go. Inaction is action. No decision is decision. In hesitating to act, a decision has been made not to act. The object of our affection has not lived up to our expectation. We become disheartened because we feel as though we have been spitting in the wind.

This is the time to take stock of our motives. Are they in line with God’s motives? It is not easy to admit that perhaps our motives are lacking. We want to be right and have things the way we think they should be. We want to believe this is what Our Father wants. This can be a rude awakening, can it not? Letting go is not easy. It goes against our grain because we want to know our efforts effect positive change no matter what. Attaining goals is gratifying but they are not always edifying.

Let us consider bucking up, facing our lacks, and recover emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Let us permit the Lord’s healing to take place within us and move on in His Grace and Blessing. And just as importantly, let us permit the Lord’s healing to take place within the soul and spirit of the one or ones for whom we have given our care and our prayer. Let us let go. No longer shall we spit in the wind of futility. We shall channel our energies in prayer with enough detachment that we do not purposely wound our own souls and spirits along the journey. No one can love the way our Father loves. We, therefore, have the faith to know, the hope to desire, and the love to finally let go and let God handle these precious lives.~~~~“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,Courage to change the things I can changeAnd Wisdom to know the difference.”

Unknown Author (Several theories about authors but none Proven)~~~~

Let go & Let God

When you're troubled, worried, and sick at heart,And your plans are upset and your world falls apart,Remember God's ready and waiting to share.The burden you find too heavy to bear,So with faith, let go and let god lead the wayInto a Brighter and less-troubled way.

By Anonymous, age 15~~~~

Out of the minds, souls, and spirits of talented authors a wealth of wisdom may be gained. The above Prayer and Poem speak of inspiration. We are grateful they have shared for we are blessed by their efforts.

May the Lord bless us with renewed Faith, Hope and Love. May we ever pray for our brothers and sisters, then let go and let God. Nothing is gained by spitting in the wind but everything is gained when we Love God above all else and our neighbor as ourselves. These are the greatest commandments.

Mel Patterson (c) October 23, 2005