However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 16:13, 8)
The Holy Spirit blows across our lives to clean and transform our landscapes.
While working in the yard one blustery autumn weekend, I was blowing the fallen leaves from the driveway of our home. Most of them initially fluttered away with the first past of the blast from the leaf blower. Other, more stubborn leaves flitted into the air and settled back to where they used to lay. After several arcing blasts, I noticed some leaves didn’t move at all because their edges closest to the blower’s air flow were nestled closely to the ground and the air was aerodynamically blowing over them. To clear them from the driveway, I had to take a different angle to get past their shaped resistance.
Oh, how like those leaves we are!
God’s Transforming Touch
In His ever-transforming work, the Holy Spirit constantly blows across our lives speaking His truth and clearing the clutter. Some of us respond quickly to His initial puffs. Others require second or third passes before responding to his intensifying nudges. Then there are some of us who remain resistant until He moves in such a way as to finally engage us in what He is trying to do.
He speaks truth in a world of deception, convicts hearts set on self-destruction, and transforms those He indwells, propelling the willing into their God-appointed destinies. As our Helper and Comforter, He walks along beside us encouraging and orchestrating events as He cleans and transforms our landscapes.
Just as the leaves on the driveway, we all have different responses. However, just as my intention was to have a cleaned driveway, God’s ultimate purpose will prevail. He offers us the privilege to partner with Him in His work. But before we can serve Him, we must first be pliable inwardly—immediately responding, never resisting or quenching His efforts. “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7).
Yielding to God’s Spirit involves trusting Him to work all things in our lives for good. Inversely speaking, our resistance is simply holding on to what is not good. So, let’s lift the edges of our leaves and allow the wind of His Spirit to launch us as He wills.
