Wind Song

A few years ago my husband and I had the opportunity to visit Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. It is located near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Linville and is one of the highest peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains. One of the main attractions there is the Mile High Swinging Bridge, a 228 foot galvanized steel suspension bridge which spans an 80 foot chasm and is one mile high in elevation. On the bridge a person has a 360 degree panoramic view of the beautiful mountains and scenery below. As I always do when planning a vacation I spend hours on the computer, looking up web sites of the places we are going to visit. This was going to be one of the highlights of our southern trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I gazed for countless hours at the photographs and imagined what it was going to be like once we got on the bridge. I could have never imagined just what the experience would mean to me.


The ride to the top was a twisty winding road that at times seemed to direct our car straight up into the sky. I was already bouncing all over the seat in excitement and a little bit of fear too, for if we were to meet a car, I am not sure there was room for two. It was a beautiful day for the trip- at the bottom at least. Once we got to the top, however, the weather seemed to change.The clear sky gave way to fog and freezing drizzle. But since we were already there, we decided to get out of the car and climb several steps up to the bridge.

What an experience! Though the fog would roll in and out, allowing us some view below, it was mostly drizzling and oh so windy! Yes, the bridge did swing! Our hair became frozen, I couldn’t see much through my glasses, but I wouldn’t have missed the thrill of it all. While walking across the bridge and spending some time up there just enjoying the experience, we kept hearing in the distance, it seemed, a strange melody. At first we didn’t realize it was there but then it began to become part of the experience, way up there, one mile above the rest of the world, the frozen rain coming down sharply and the wind blowing steadily. Then my husband realized where the music was coming from. It was coming from the wind blowing through the giant steel cables that held the bridge in place. As long as the wind blew the music played on. We spent quite a bit of time up there, far above the noise. Even though there were other people on the bridge, with the wind blowing so hard, you could barely hear anything else.

Even years later, I can still feel the frozen drizzle on my hair, the sharp biting wind on my face and that exhilarating experience. But the thing we talk about the most is that beautiful, sometimes, eerie, music through those cables. Just recently while reminiscing about our experience there; I saw such a beautiful picture of our lives. The bridge represents our life and the steel cables our faith. As the winds of adversity blow in our lives, as they blow through the strong cables of our faith, they create a beautiful melody. Yes, our bridge may sway back and forth, yes the storm may sting us in the face (or in our heart), and yes we may have to hold on to those hand rails from time to time, but as we allow those strong cables of faith to hold us up during our times of storms and if we listen closely- we will be able to hear the wind song coming through our cables of faith. As it did for me- way up there, on that bridge, the wind song becomes a part of the experience we are going through. And others will hear the song as well.

You may think that the storm which you are going through is going to destroy you. You may be holding onto the handrails and you may be swaying back and forth. But don’t fear! The very God who brought you to this storm is the very same God who will take you through. And the very same wind that is causing your bridge to swing back and forth in the storm is the very same wind that will create a beautiful song in your storm. You will not only be blessed, but you will be a blessing to others.

I am reminded of those beautiful words in scripture—Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”(NKJV) and I Corinthians 10:13: “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” ( The Message)

Your wind song—can you hear it? Are you too afraid and anxious to hear it? Let the wind blow through your faith cables. Be still and acknowledge that He is God (Psalm 46:10).Let the wind curl around you, sting you in the face but at the same time, remember that those strong cables of faith- which represent Jesus Christ- holding up your bridge, is also creating a beautiful song in your storm.