Feeling the Wind

Many people who know me in real life know that I have a thing for anything fast. My mother is not one of those. She's still wondering where the quiet, "reserved" Daniel from of yesteryear went. I don't know that many people know what it is that thrills me about speed, though. I got into a conversation with my counselor where this came up, and I thought I'd share it.
I've always loved the wind. Riding in the car with the windows down is one of the best ways I experience wind. But what is wind? We look through air all the time. I'm doing it right now looking at the screen as I type and couldn't regard it less. Yet it's there. I feel it blowing against my skin as the fan moves it around. It goes into my lungs rich with oxygen and exits taking poisonous gases with it. It's doing very critical things to my life, and I regard it with a mere breath.
Now if you put enough air together, going in the same direction, you feel it as wind. That's critical right there. You feel it. You're forced to acknowledge its presence. It's undeniable. I feel it going 60 down the highway. I've felt it going 75 on a jetski. I've felt it going 120 MPH. The faster, the more you're enveloped. The more it demands your attention. The more it takes away your breath.

Wind is how I remind myself of God. It may not be a pillar of fire or cloud, it may not be an alter. But it reminds me of His presence. He's here, surrounding me. He is impacting my life in more ways than I'll ever know. And often, I regard him with little more than an occasional prayer. If He were to leave me, I would be snuffed out. And the more I lean into Him, the more I experience His presence. The more I see His power.

I love going fast. Adrenaline dumps into my system. More than anything, though, is the presence I feel as I'm wrapped up by my loving Savior as we charge forward through life together.

Now what analogy can I come up with for speed limits and officers who enforce them... ;)