May the Force Be With You

I brought my laptop outside for awhile Tuesday afternoon.  I was pondering what to write about, and my mind was wandering.  Like most women, I am fully capable of thinking of a million different thoughts at once, and I often do without difficulty.  The difficulty, in fact, comes when I try to silence my thoughts or only think about one thing at a time, which is nearly impossible.  Sometimes there are so many thoughts & emotions swirling around in my head all at the same time that it feels as though my head is "buzzing".  
So my mind was buzzing as I situated myself outside in a shaded area of the backyard.  My puppy, Levi, who of course could spend all day in the backyard, gnawing on sticks and chasing birds, lay quietly near my chair, chewing on a fallen tree branch that was almost bigger than he is. He was completely absorbed in his mindless fun.  He probably was not thinking about a whole lot, and he was simply being in the moment and enjoying lying in the grass with his stick.  
I, however, was lost in thought, too busy thinking to take a deep breath and enjoy Mother Nature.  I was thinking about my husband's job search,  how disappointed I was for not losing weight faster, and leaving soon for our vacation to Seattle.   I was thinking about everything, when really what I needed to do was to clear my mind and think about nothing.  
So I took a deep breath, remembered where I was (the beautiful & serene backyard), and looked up.  I watched the trees sway gracefully as the wind moved invisibly past.  
I was struck by how an invisible force (the wind) could so noticeably move the objects around it (the trees).  I think the there are other real-world forces that invisibly move objects around them, like love.  Love has the power to move mountains and produce miracles.  As actor William Hurt's character in "The Village" says, "The world moves for love.  It kneels before it in awe."  That is a gleaming nugget of profound truth in an otherwise inconsequential movie!  
Another unseen force to be reckoned with, if you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, is the Holy Spirit.  This "Person" of the Trinity (Father, Son, & Holy Ghost) lives in the hearts & minds of those who follow Christ and helps us to understand and apply Scripture.  He also changes us from the inside out, and encourages, heals, comforts, and empowers us.  This force literally changes believers for the good, and guides them to be the best possible version of themselves they can be.  He is the part of God that walks side-by-side with us in our daily lives, every step of the way, never falling behind or giving up.  One by one, God changes people, and eventually, the whole world is effected.  Our church just finished a message series on the Holy Spirit called "The Guide", where they described him as being our knowledgeable and caring "Guide", leading us safely through the wilderness of life.   
Nature is another extremely powerful force, and the devastating effects of its power has been in the news a lot lately.  The earthquake/tsunami in Japan a few months ago, the tornado in Joplin, Missouri, the flooding in the Southern U.S. states.....Nature can definitely be destructive, but it can also be beautiful, majestic, peaceful, soothing, and extravagant.  
These are just some examples of unseen, powerful forces that we humans cannot fully understand or explain, predict, or reason with.  This world is truly an interesting place, isn't it?