Chasing after the Ruach

If you're my friend on Facebook, then you know I like to write (91 notes at last count). Unfortunately, Facebook is not the most stable website. You just never know what new update will be next. So, I've decided to pack up camp and move over to blogger--a little easier to follow and a lot more stable (Don't worry FB friends...I'm not leaving FB...yet).

For those who are new...well, all I can say is you will have to wait and read my writing for yourself. I love to write and I love to share what God has been teaching me. I hope that you can find some blessing in it.

So, I'm sure some of you are wondering about the name. Some of you may have already recognized it as a phrase from the book of Ecclesiastes--and if you know me, you know my love for the book of Ecclesiastes. I picked this name because it describes my life pretty well, in more ways than one. Yes, there's a bit of word play involved.

In Ecclesiastes the phrase appears as "chasing the wind" or "striving after wind." It's a way of expressing the futility of life:

I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
(Ecclesiastes 1:14 ESV)

Yes, I was serious about this being my favorite book. The fact is, if you take the time to question your purpose in life, it can often seem like striving after wind. What can I do for an all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God? I can add nothing new under the sun. If you need further explanation, just read Ecclesiastes ;)

However, as the title shows, the Hebrew word for wind in Ecclesiastes is ruach. Ruach can also be translated as spirit. Chasing after the Spirit--I think that does a good job of summing up our purpose. It's not about what we can do for God--not about what we can add to His plan. It's about growing closer to Him. As a good friend said, the only thing we can give that He doesn't already have is our hearts. And in giving Him our hearts, we learn to chase after His heart.

Life without God is chasing after the wind. Life only finds it's meaning with God--in chasing after the Spirit.



Oh, and there is also the fact that I am training to be a meteorologist...so I chase after the wind in a more literal sense as well. Anyway, like I said above, I hope you find some blessing from this blog as I attempt to share the things I am learning from my walk with God. And I hope that you will grow ever closer to Him as you chase after the Ruach.