It was a beautiful autumn morning with the sun shining brightly through the porch doors, when my husband noticed a swan across the waters. Since this occurrence is rare on our lake Kirk took notice and then recorded this sighting in his personal journal:
Kirk’s Journal - Thursday, October 6,2011 - As I was having my devotions with the Lord about 7 am I saw a swan on the opposite side of the lake. Through the next hour every time I looked up I saw it getting closer and closer. As I was completing my time with the Lord it was right in front of our cottage. It was so beautiful and I thanked the Lord for bringing His creation up so close. I then fed it. I believe now I have a new friend…at least until we leave.
In the past God has used “weird” things to get our attention, so we wondered if this swan visit was another divine appointment sent our way. So we googled “swan” to look for its hidden meaning and this is what we found:• SWAN(verb)
The verb SWAN has 3 senses:1. to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true 2. move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment 3. sweep majestically
We both laughed as we read definition #2 and realized that was a good depiction of our lives the past four years. However, the definition that grabbed our hearts was #3 – sweep majestically. For that is where we are at today…being swept away, as a dream of ours is finally coming true. (We are heading to South Carolina to live by our only child).
The entire day that George (the name we gave him) sat near our seawall we never got tired of watching him and admiring his beauty. Even though he did not do anything spectacular, besides be a swan, we were affected by his presence.
I can’t help but think that is what God desires from His bride as well─to be beautiful and to be a positive presence in the lives around us, whether we are going through life aimlessly or majestically flying. However, in order to make that impact we must first have the wind (Holy Spirit) beneath our wings; without the Holy Spirit we are bound to fall flat on our faces every time. There’s nothing beautiful in that!
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." - Jesus’ words in John 3:8
George disappeared from our lives as fast as he appeared. Nevertheless, we will never forget him and the lesson that we learned from his brief visit: It does not matter if we are aimlessly wandering or if we are majestically soaring─we can still make an impact on someone’s life, even if it is for just a moment. Won’t you be a George to someone this week?
Founder and Director of Key Ministries located in Lexington South Carolina. You can reach us at keyministries@yahoo.com. .