It is a rainy summer morning and the streets outside are sodden with flower petals and muddy footsteps. The wind is blowing softly and the clouds are a soft gray. The rain tickles windowsills, dashboards and tree branches. I am meditating on my patio and marveling at the beauty of it all, the exchange comforting my heart as I witness nature taking care. The unrehearsed and unannounced gathering of elements are drawn together by an unspoken need and just above the tender rumbling of the patient sky, I hear the voice of God beckoning me to his presence. God wipes my tears and patiently listens to my song.
When a soul longs for comfort and has searched all of the seemingly logical points of refuge, it becomes weary and collapses, tired from the chase. I have such a soul, one that aches for days when rest is as simple as the falling rain, where God can speak to me and remind me of how far I’ve come and point me in the direction of my greater purpose. The hush of the tree limbs cooing while I pray for peace is a sign that God will never place more weight on me than my shoulders can endure and that my current situation is just that: a situation. God has the ability to turn my storm into a symphony, where every ache of my heart is in alignment with my glorious future. When sorrow brings me to the edge of my seat, God turns my face just in time to see him working out the big finish, where I rise tall and walk into the sunset. The credits become a list of new mercies that encourage me to hold on to his unchanging hand.
Situations are built into the brick and mortar of what we call human existence. They serve as our calisthenics, our independent study of divine intention and the order of prosperity. There is no escaping an uncomfortable or unfortunate situation; there is only our pathway through it. The love and power of God are coaches that help us find our steps as they have been ordered. We let our faith lead us into life’s next door of opportunity. If we don’t proceed, our greatness diminishes and loses its potency because we deny ourselves the opportunity to be refined. A situation will reveal your true strength, God’s divine intent and the world’s commitment to assist you. Your situations are executive assistants on alert to ensure that you are on course to graduate.
When my soul is troubled and I have temporary moments of “insanity,” those moments where I am “out of the mind” of peace, love, order and faith, I get quiet and still and listen for the wind. The wind tells me where God is and I am not. It tells me what to listen for and who to pay attention to. It challenges me to breathe, stand still and to God’s reflection. As the tree branches sway and the rain cascades down the road, my soul is anchored in the promise of God’s faithfulness and covering and I am persuaded that my situation, like the wind, will pass. : :
— Esih Efuru is a native of Newark, N.J., and hails from a legacy of singers, ministers and musicians. She published and performed poetry while a student at Rutgers University, and continued to write poetry and prose as she enjoyed a successful singing career in house music. Efuru answered her call to ministry in 1993 and joined the Unity Fellowship Church Movement, where she has served as a Reverend and Psalmist for over 20 years. She has published a collection of poems (Consilience), a novel (Earth) and a memoir, “Daughter: A Pre-K Memoir.” She currently teaches in Charlotte and runs an inspiration blog for PraiseCharlotte.com.