which way the wind blows

I have heard the phrase "see which way the wind blows", 

but I didn't fully understand it until several years ago 

when I was traveling on I74 to visit my daughter and her family.

I have thought about what I saw 

and often wished I had been able to take a picture.

The trees in Ilinois bear testament to "which way the wind blows".

Sarah, her girls and I were on I74 in late November.

I took this photo from the passenger seat.  

See the tree in the forefront?

It appears that the branches are being blown by a stiff wind.

They aren't.

It is a dark afternoon, but calm. 

No rain, no wind at this particular time. 

The tree has been bent/shaped by the storms it has endured. 

We all face storms.

We are all buffeted by winds.

We all are pelted by sand, rain, hail, sleet or snow at some time.

If we were honest, we would all probably say that we have felt lost,

frightened, anxious, sad, or overwhelmed,

blown off course a little during one of the storms we have faced. 
No one is exempt from storms. No one.

Some people turn away from God.

Some people shake their fist at God, angry.

Some people grow bitter and hateful.

Some people allow their hearts to become calloused.

Some people run to God.

Some people hold their hands out to Him pleading for His peace.

Some people grow in compassion and empathy.

Some people allow their hearts to be healed and softened.

I have been each one of "some people".

During a storm it is sometimes hard to tell 

which way a person is learning to lean.

But when it is calm,

our lives,

our choices,

our actions and reactions, 

not our words, 

are a testament to "which way the winds blows".

I pray that

in the calm

in the storm

my life bears witness to what I say I hold on to, 
to what I say I know to be true.