Windspinner 2

Windspinner 1

My wife, Sharon, gave me a windspinner for Christmas. Rather than calling it “the big one on the back of the blueberry netting frame”, I’ll refer to it as Windspinner 2 (WS2), and the original one on the front will be Windspinner 1 (WS1).

Windspinner 2 looks like a piece of art with its wide, curved vanes. Windspinner 1 has long, straight vanes, and reacts much like a propeller. With that shape, WS 1 only needs a slight breeze to set it in motion. A brisk wind spins it into a blur and you can’t distinguish the individual vanes (As info, the wheels are set to turn in opposite directions.)

WS 2 barely reacts to a light breeze. One wheel may rock back and forth, as if it’s considering spinning but unwilling to commit. It takes a strong, consistent wind to overcome the inertia and then keep it in motion. It doesn’t spin to a blur like WS1, and because of that, the curved vanes crisscrossing each other make a pulsating pattern that looks almost alive.

In John 3:8, Jesus likens the work of the Holy Spirit to the wind. We can perceive the effects of the wind but don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. These two gadgets reveal the effects of the wind differently – much as individual people reveal the effects of the Holy Spirit differently. Some react quickly, while others need a push and then slowly pick up speed.

That’s not meant to imply the Holy Spirit has to try different methods on a person until He finds one that is successful. The Holy Spirit is God, and when He has changed someone’s heart, He has perfect wisdom to know exactly how to turn, guide and help that person become what God wants them to be.

Perhaps someday I’ll post videos of the windspinners so you can see them in action. Until then, observe the various effects of the wind on the world around you. And, more than that, marvel as you see the Holy Spirit working in different individual’s lives, and praise God for the continuing miracle of saved souls.

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 ESV