It has been a while since I’ve been to a community play. Mary Poppins was playing, and at the last minute, I decided to attend with my friend Susan. Memories flooded back from my own theatre days of costumes, stage makeup, long practice sessions, and struggling notes culminating with a grand performance.

 Most of you have possibly seen the movie, and the play rekindled the melodies quite quickly. Just before Act 1 closed, Bert, the chimney sweep, asks Mary Poppins in his cockney accent, “How long will you stay this time, Mary?” She smiles back to reply, “Until the wind changes.”

If any of this is bringing back some of the character development, Mary Poppins arrives in London with a gust of stormy wind to answer the call for a nanny for two bratty kids. She not only shows them discipline, but also love, fun, and wild imagination. The line she spoke before the curtain closed really resonated with me. I couldn’t shake it. “Until the wind changes.”

Mary answers a call, arriving with the wind, but also knew her departure. I began to think about the winds in the bible. Some drove destiny, while others were meant for redirection. Then, there were winds that tried to destroy. Poppins didn’t exactly let on…how do you know the wind that is meant to take you to the next thing?

Take for example Paul on his way to Rome. The winds at the beginning of his adventure were really delaying the trip. He advises the group, “Men, I sense that this voyage will certainly be a disaster and with great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” Acts 27:10. The men didn’t listen, and found themselves in troubled waters after a violent wind caused the boat to drift and eventually shipwreck.

The calm winds along the coast were the dangerous ones, leading the men on the ship to false hope that even though they were headed into dangerous waters, they could make it. A calm breeze is usually welcomed, especially in the humid summer days of August. In this case, the calm was a false sense of security, causing the boat to drift into trouble.

The shipwreck could have seemed hopeless. But the island of Malta proved to be a place of provision and miracles. Acts 28 speaks of the kindness of the people, but still, trouble brewed. “But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper crawled out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand…Then Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.” Acts 26:3,5. The wind that drifted the boat to its fate led Paul to miracles of testimony. Acts 26 continues to tell us of all that Paul did to heal others on the island and befriend them.

 Jesus also speaks to violent winds when he and the disciples are on a boat. The boat is being tormented by waves, close to capsizing. Yet Jesus is asleep. The disciples, quite concerned ask for some assistance. Not only does Jesus rebuke them, but he also rebukes the wind. “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was [at once] a great and wonderful calm [a perfect peace]. (Matt 8:26)

These aren’t the only two examples of wind in the bible, but I found myself fascinated with both of these stories, first because of the surface similarities. In both, the strong winds were the driving characters. However, the reactions were different. Paul’s faith grew, knowing even if this ship doesn’t make it, he’s going to go where he’s meant to go. The disciples’ faith dwindled until Jesus woke up and did something, to which He wasn’t really impressed with their lack of trust.

Though I didn’t end up in O’Neill this summer with a carpet bag and an umbrella, I have felt reassured that God did bring me here for a reason and a season. Sometimes the strong winds driving us to our destiny produce waves that scare us. But in reality the waves are meant to grow our faith. I am thankful for the times God has used his spiritual wind to redirect my life, especially in the midst of shipwreck seasons.

I wouldn’t say this is a shipwreck season by any stretch, but I do think while the winds are stretching our faith, it’s meant to grow us. The wind had no power over who was in the boat with Jesus, though it was producing some frightening aftermath. And the wind wasn’t going to stop the boat from getting where it was meant to go. The men in the boat needed to build some faith along the way.

The wind in your life has a meaning, but don’t be deceived by the strength or power of it. The calm winds could actually be a warning. The strong winds, though feel tumultuous, could be calling your faith higher. This past week, I have felt even more encouraged in discerning the winds in this season. Truly, I don’t know yet when I will go, where exactly I’ll go, or for how long. But I know who is in the boat with me. And whether that boat makes it or not, nothing can stop the plan God has as long as I welcome it with faith.

I hope you welcome the winds of faith, question the calm, and have great encouragement through the storms. Your boat doesn’t have to make it, but you do. And you will. I pray you have discernment over the winds and when they change. And are willing to go where God asks you to. Carpet bag and umbrella not required.