His voice in the wind

Have you ever sat and listened to the wind? The amount of different sounds that come from the mysterious wind are numerous. Sometimes the wind is a soft gentle breezy that brings refreshment. Other times it is strong, gusty and dangerous. Each bring difference in what they mean and the sounds they make.

So often I wish God would speak to me "in" the loud wind. The loud wind is easily heard and seen. On a very rare occasion He will but not normally. But why is that? I believe it is because of a few reasons.

This topic resonates deep within my being because it has to do with my view of God as Abba (Daddy). The concept of God as Father is what first drew me into Christianity but it is also one of the truths I struggle with most. You see, I am a really rotten daughter sometimes. I am disobedient, rebellious, doubtful of leadership, hard to love, and quick to run away. What Father wants a daughter like that?

I am reading a book called Kisses from Katie. It is the story of a young woman who left her comfortable lifestyle of suburbia Tennessee for the red dirt and poverty of Uganda, Africa. Katie found herself in Uganda, feeding the "least of these", mothering many through adoption, and loving the forgotten not because that was her dream but because God told her to. She went to be obedient and quickly discovered that her new life was actually her dream all along. It was God's dream for His daughter.

In her book she correlates the filth she has seen among the people in her village to our spiritual filth. Many times people would tell Katie not to touch certain children because they were dirty, disease ridden, covered in feces, dying. But she wouldn't listen. She would scoop up those little ones and snuggle them close. Katie did this because they were worth it, they are God's children and the deserve to be loved. And that is exactly how it is with God.

Spiritually when God the Father looks at us he sees dirty, disease ridden, filth covered, dying children but what does He do? He scoops us up in His strong arms, snuggles us close and declares our worth over us. Why? Because we are His children and He loves us beyond belief and He doesn't see the filth. All He sees is His child that needs to be loved.

God doesn't speak to me through the strong wind because He knows it would frighten me, it might damage me, it will probably make me run away. No, my Abba speaks gently through the breeze. He draws me in with His gentle Fatherly voice that instills confidence and beckons me to obey.

How I view myself as a daughter is not how God views me. I see my faults, He sees His craftsmanship. I see my failings, He sees my attempts. I see my filth, He sees the "yes" in my heart. And while I try to see Him as Daddy, He declares me as daughter.

Moving to Italy was not my dream but I am certain that it is precisely where God wants His daughter to be. And that excites me, as I wait to behold what wonders He has set aside just for me there. My heart desires to follow Him in obedience and love the ones he puts before me. That's my dream, to be exactly who my Abba made me to be.

Scripture says that we are made in the image of God. Believe it, He means it!
~Nicole