Wind Sticks & Whispers of God

We joke that our house is located in a wind tunnel. We have wind when others in our town are enjoying a wind-free day. And when a storm does hit the area, we are always hit the hardest.

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” Acts 2:2

We have large trees on our property and it’s fun to watch the trees dance in the wind. We often take videos and share them with our family. Many of them don’t live in forested areas and we love to show them our “dancing trees”.

Of course, it’s only fun if the trees don’t come crashing down, and they haven’t yet (wind can be very destructive). We do lose lots of branches though. A recent windstorm threw these small branches down under our cedar tree.

PC: Ann Kirsten

I’m one of those weird people who can’t just rake the branches up and put them in our firepit. Instead, I look at the patterns they make on the ground and wonder what creative ways I could use them. More on that later.

Those windblown branches started me on a dive into how many times wind is mentioned in the Bible (over a hundred times). I also found out that it is used as a symbol for many things, including God’s great power, the Holy Spirit, and God’s divine judgment.

There are basically four winds mentioned in the Bible: the North wind, East, West, and South. According to George Kirkpatrick, who wrote God’s Judgment Written in the Wind:

The East Wind
is the wind of judgment.

The West Wind
restores all things;

The North Wind
symbolizes power,

The South Wind
comforts and refreshes.

John 3:8 says: “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.“

Or:

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6

The wind is one of those invisible things that we tend to take for granted and not think much about. We feel it when we’re cold and we welcome it when we’re hot. But it turns out that it is very meaningful in the Bible. A quick search turns up a lot of information on the subject. There are whole books written on the subject. Who knew?

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6

Okay, now back to my weirdness and wondering what I could do with my windblown sticks. Apparently, I am not the only weird one in the world. Others have looked at sticks and appreciated their shapes and wondered what they could make with them.

Many years ago, I saw a picture of a vase of painted sticks. That picture has stayed in my mind. I loved the simple lines and the bright colors.

Here’s my version. I call them Wind Sticks.

WIND STICKS

What you’ll need:

Branches (blown down or pruned)
Craft paint and sharpies
Brushes
Waxed paper or a piece of cardboard
Florist’s foam

PC: Ann Kirsten

Instructions:

Gather fallen branches or save the ones you’ve pruned. Give them a quick wash or a brush down to remove dirt, if necessary.

Set down waxed paper, newspapers, or a piece of cardboard to protect your table. Wet wipes also come in handy.

Gather brushes, Q-tips, etc. and craft paint.

Paint stripes, dots and squiggly lines on your sticks. I painted the top ¾ of my sticks and let them dry before I painted the bottoms. Push the wet sticks into a block of floral foam to dry. Simply stick the unpainted sides of the sticks in the foam while the tops dry, then turn them upside down to paint the bottom.

Highlight shapes with sharpie pens if desired.

PC: Ann Kirsten

If you want a calmer vibe, paint your twigs all one color (I saw a grouping of sticks done this way and they were on sale for $50.00!).

Place your wind sticks in a vase and enjoy the colors they bring to your home. They can also serve as a reminder of all the things the wind represents in the Bible.

“He displays His power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath His feet.” Nahum 1:38