I like kites. I have seen neat ones flying high in the sky, dipping, weaving, and fluttering in the wind. They were all in assorted colors, shapes, and designs. Whether the kites were large or small, they were tightly held onto by a single string from the person below.
On a good day, it was hard to see who was holding the string because the kite was flying so high, so well, as if no one held onto it at all. The kite mesmerized me as it was effortlessly navigated to dip, turn, and soar.
When I first tried to fly a kite, I remember being so excited. Dad took it out of the package and constructed the sticks forming a cross in my little kite. We went out in the yard. As instructed I held onto my piece at the end of the string; he walked away from me with the kite itself. It was a typical sweltering day in Dallas with a breeze just enough to make my bangs sweep into my eyes. I squinted and when dad said “Ready!” I ran away from my dad while he quickly pushed up with the kite and released it.
I remember running gleefully as I held on tightly to that string. The kite went up, staying in the air just long enough to get us both excited, and then took a deep turn, nosediving into the ground. It was not enough to make me cry, but it certainly put a damper on the moment.
Dad went to assess the damage. “All good. See here, it just needs the tail adjusted. Let’s try it again.” This time I held the kite, and dad held the string.
Although I was small, my dad assured me that it would work. It only took him a couple of strides and when I released the kite it was back up in the air. We would enjoy that kite for at least another hour before the evening was over.
Funny thing about kites though, sometimes there was not enough of a breeze to keep the kite afloat. Other times, I found that if I held on too tightly, without giving the kite enough string to rise higher into the sky it would quickly fall to the ground.
I would start all over again. Sometimes getting the kite to soar, other times not so much. When there was no one there to help me, I learned I could rig it enough to fly about two feet behind me while running around in the yard – but that was not as fun, and a lot more work.
As I think about kites, I’m reminded how much God is in every aspect.
The funny thing about kites is how they mirror our lives when we are with Jesus and when we are not.
The Holy Spirit is described in the Bible as “wind.” Wind often depicts the power of the Holy Spirit. And like the wind, the Holy Spirit can change our circumstances, our lives, and more – just as the wind itself is unpredictable, powerful, and sometimes comes suddenly.
“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” Acts 2:2
“The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going…” John 3:8
The cross is ever present. Meaning Christ’s work (death and resurrection) is central to our lives as the structure we base our faith on.
In the old triangle kites, the wooden sticks formed the shape of the cross within the fabric of the kite, giving the kite the strength it needed to fly. The imagery speaks to Christ in us – Christ in our lives.
“Christ in you the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27
The string reminds me of our faith. How much do we really have in our circumstances, ourselves, or in Jesus? Faith connects us to the thing we want, the kite (Life – a life worth living). When I hold on too tightly, when I try to control the kite by forcing it a certain direction, it often takes a nosedive.
Many times, frustrated that the kite is not going the direction I think it should go, I spend my energy trying to “perfect” the kite itself (My behavior, my words, actions, etc.)
And when I don’t believe God is involved enough in my situation, I don’t even let the kite go very far. In fact, I have a tight grip when it flies behind me, while I run in the opposite direction. My tight grip on that string leaves very little room for that kite to fly where it was intended to.
I imagine that Jesus looks at me, tilts his head, gently laughing at my efforts to fly this kite all by myself. Me choosing to go it alone. Me forcing it to follow behind me. Me gripping the string, and me barley getting the kite off the ground. Me taking that nosedive!
Lessons Learned
Now I’ve learned to wait on the Holy Spirit, listening for Jesus to speak to me before I venture to go out with my kite. I know now that it takes both he and I for this to work. I know now that I can’t go on and do my own plans and expect the Lord to follow me and bless them. I am meant to follow him.
Trusted friends now come alongside me to help lift up that kite. Letting out the string, I surrender myself to him, putting my faith in Jesus. I hold on loosely as the kite gets caught up in the wind. I hold on as the kite changes direction, but I continue to let out more string so the kite will be directed where the wind wants it to go.
Prayer
Lord let me and my friends be directed by you. Give us the courage to let go and give you all the string you need to take our lives in the direction you want it to go. May we listen to the encouragement of our friends speaking of you and life into our lives to help us begin, and lift us up in times of need. Lord, help us to soar to new heights, in new directions with Christ in us. Let the Spirit carry us through.
