Mastering the Wind

“The hurricane, the typhoon, the tsunami, the sudden squall… We aren't in total charge of our fate. We are subject to death, accident, and disease; we can, without warning, lose, love, work, home.… I lost both my parents… an irreversible wind that changed my destiny. I didn't command that wind and I couldn't make it give back what it had taken away. But it was my wind, and I had to sail it until it led me at last to a sheltered cove.”—Richard Bode

I love this quote from First You Have to Row a Little Boat, Bode’s small but poignant memoir. It’s so apt and helps us think about the problems we can’t solve. 

More than a month into the Israeli-Hamas war, the misinformation, moral dilemmas, and societal ruptures overwhelm us. Set in the context of our holidays, it’s a jarring juxtaposition. How do we think about our celebrations and those struck by the irreversible wind of war? Their laments mingle with Christmas pop tunes the week before Thanksgiving. We scan the Black Friday sales and news of anticipated hostage releases.

So What Do We Think? 

How do we reconcile what is with what we desire? We cannot control the world. But we can control our reactions to it. We can guard our hearts and minds, our thoughts, and our mouths—with difficulty, I know, but the possibility exists. One story inspires me to try. 

In Genesis 4, we meet Cain, the first murderer, who worked the soil. Brother of Abel, who kept flocks. 

“In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. . . . Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.”

As God asked Cain, “Why are you angry?” 

Cain’s anger is cultivated, a harbored resentment. He was very angry, not just cranky. Maybe his offering was compromised by greed, a half-hearted duty, like the elder brother of the prodigal. Maybe it was fueled by hatred and jealousy. Whatever the case, Cain’s anger became murderous,

God surely knew where things were headed. But it didn’t stop Him from trying to break the cycle. He opened a conversation with Cain and offered him some advice. 

“Don’t you know that as long as you do what is right, then I accept you? But if you do not do what is right, watch out, because sin is crouching at the door, ready to pounce on you! You must master it before it masters you.” (Voice)

Mastery

This idea of mastery has inspired me for decades. I hear it as possibility—I can master sin—and it gives me hope. Having experienced defeat enough times, I thought it impossible to control my mind, emotions, and mouth. Lo and behold, I discovered it’s possible. 

It’s been my life-long quest to work towards mastery of these three areas (mind, emotions, mouth). I do not want to become like Cain, who starts wars. I fail often, but it could be worse. And I will never stop attempting mastery.

As Richard Bode writes, “I didn't command that wind and I couldn't make it give back what it had taken away. But it was my wind, and I had to sail it until it led me at last to a sheltered cove.”

I didn’t command this war between Israel and Hamas, and I can’t end it. I can’t replace lives. My wind is to sail into the sheltered cove—in the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). To listen, pray, and ask what I can do. That is enough for one holiday season. And for that I am grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving!