Stop Watching the Wind
When is the best time to start a family? After you have saved more money? When you own a home? When your career is established? When life finally becomes less hectic?
The honest answer is that there may never be a perfect time. There will always be another expense, another concern, or another reason to wait. If every condition must be ideal before we move forward, we may never begin.
Last week, I wrote about “chasing the wind”—our tendency to pursue the next purchase, achievement, or “new fix,” believing it will finally make us happy. Ecclesiastes offers another lesson about the wind: sometimes we are not chasing it; we are standing still and watching it.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”
A farmer must pay attention to the weather. Planting without considering the conditions would be foolish. But if the farmer demands a guarantee of perfect weather, no seed will ever enter the ground. There will always be wind in the forecast and clouds on the horizon.
We do the same thing in our lives. We say, “When I have more money, I’ll be generous.” “When work slows down, I’ll spend more time with my family.” “When I feel confident, I’ll take the opportunity.” “When I have everything in order, I’ll finally begin.”
But life rarely gives us complete certainty. The right moment often arrives disguised as an imperfect one.
There is an important difference between careful preparation and endless postponement. Wisdom considers the circumstances. Fear uses them as an excuse. We should plan, ask good questions, and understand the risks. But eventually, another spreadsheet, conversation, or sleepless night will not make the decision any clearer. At some point, we must plant the seed.
That does not mean every dream should be pursued or every impulse followed. Some closed doors protect us. Some delays prepare us. Sometimes waiting is the wisest action we can take. But waiting on God is not the same as waiting for life to become completely predictable.
Maybe you have been thinking about repairing a relationship, but you are waiting for the other person to make the first move. Perhaps you want to volunteer, start exercising, return to church, apply for a different position, or begin a project that has been sitting in your mind for years. You keep watching the wind, studying the clouds, and promising yourself that you will act when the conditions improve.
What if they never do?
I have learned that many meaningful decisions begin before we feel completely ready. We prepare as well as we can, take the next responsible step, and trust God with what remains beyond our control. Faith does not eliminate uncertainty. It allows us to move forward without being ruled by it.
A seed does not look like a harvest. It looks small, vulnerable, and full of unanswered questions. But nothing can grow until it is planted.
If you wait until you have everything you think you need, you may never begin what matters most. The conversation may not go perfectly. The new opportunity may involve risk. The timing may never feel completely comfortable. Yet the life you hope to build may be waiting on the other side of one faithful step.
This week, think of one good thing you have been postponing while waiting for perfect conditions. Make the call. Begin the conversation. Submit the application. Take the first small step.
Stop watching the wind. Plant one seed.
