Chasing the Wind

Rainbow over a green field and distant farmhouse in a cloudy sky

Ecclesiastes 1:14 I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind. NLT

But there is joy in chasing the wind.

Remember chasing bubbles as a kid? Or seeing a child chase bubbles on the wind now? Even animals sometimes get in on the game. Or watching snowflakes drift down on the first snowfall of the year? I’m not sure why the first snowfall always seems so magical; maybe because it’s like a drifting down of something new; cleaning the earth of all the harshness of the summer. Leaves drifting through the sky on an autumn day; crisp air and the scent of spice filling the air.

Chasing the wind is how we follow our dreams.

Is it meaningless? Some may say so. This first chapter in Ecclesiastes is not full of hope and joy, continually repeating how meaningless everything is, that no matter what the world goes on and regardless of the wisdom we seek, we cannot change things. The more we learn the less we like to know, because there is so much sadness in the world. Yes, that is undeniable. But then he mentioned chasing the wind.

Can we catch the wind? No.

But we can play with the wind.

That is where the joy can be found.

If we only look at how meaningless everything is, how no matter what we do today, nothing will change, then yes, we will be brought down to the depths of despair. But that is not all there is in the world.

Yes, every winter turns to spring, just as summer turns to fall and fall into winter. The seasons change, and regardless of how sad we may get to see the leaves starting to turn and the days getting shorter, there is the joy of bountiful fall colours, warm soups and stews, and cozy sweaters for fall walks in the crisp air. Winter may feel bleak sometimes, with the mounding of snow and ice storms, especially over the past few years. But then there are bright snow filled days with children tobogganing and sledding, people snowshoeing and skiing, hot mulled cider and Christmas lights. Okay, I may have just brightened up myself for the winter, which is a first!

Everything done has been done before, and will be done again. No song is really new, no story yet unwritten. But it is how we choose to play with those things that make them all new. No painting hasn’t been painted before, no poem unwritten. But how we look at them and say them changes.

Write the poem.

Sing the song.

Paint the painting.

Chase the wind and all the playful beauty that exists there.

Do not despair that everything has been done before.

Do it your way, and share that with the world.

We cannot make all things new. We cannot solve all the problems of the world.

But we can bring more joy into the world. That is not chasing the wind.

That is building a beautiful bonfire of hope, that will burn brightly across the world, shining through the darkest of nights, in the most hopeless of situations. There is hope, love, and joy in the world.

Look at the beauty of the wildflowers, the dandelions, the roses. Look at the lilies and daisies and cornflowers. All things that are not new, but are born again each season. Are they less beautiful because we have seen them before? Do they smell less sweet?

Be the joy in the world, by chasing the wind. Chase your dreams, become who you were born to be.

Step into your future with all the hope and faith of one who is sure this is where they are meant to be.

We are all wind chasers. Some of us just forget how to play.

If you’re not sure how to start, go to the dollar store, buy a container of bubble soap, and play. Recapture the joy of childhood, and have fun.

Life is too short to forget about chasing the wind.

Is it all meaningless in the end? The world will go on as it always will. But you will have added your joy to it. That is priceless.

Chase the wind! :) Amen.