The Windmills of Paw Paw

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have made the drive south through Illinois many times; sometimes alone and often with family.   This past week was the first time I did it with coworkers.  I must say it was quite the different experience.  Over the years I have developed habits in the drive. 

We left for our destination at roughly the normal time I would leave which is the wee hours of the morning.  The first thing that I noticed was that no one really cared about Paw Paw.  This is a small town in central Illinois that is powered by windmills.  They stretch across the landscape lazily catching the wind on their long veins and converting it to energy for the town below.

There is a beauty to this windmill array that always catches me off guard.  I always anticipate them as a milestone to the trip.  I always remember their value.  I often forget how beautiful it is to me.  If it is still dark when I pass Paw Paw their red warning lights wink against the purple night like massive fire flies.  If it is light then the stark white giants can be seen turning in the wind content to just be there and serve.

The one thing I always consider is how much science and artistry has gone into a device that has a single purpose.  That single purpose, turning wind into energy is important and increasingly popular.  I so often forget that I also have a single purpose.  God has built both science and artistry into me.  He has created me for the express purpose of loving me for who I am.  He has made me so that I can be his. 

There are many sub-purposes that exist in this relationship but any time I doubt my value or need to justify my existence I need only consider my primary purpose.  God wants me here or I would not be here.  It is truly that simple and complex.  I get the privilege of loving God back and strive to do it better today than yesterday.

My trip south and back again lacked many of the travel rituals that I value.  I did not get my early morning breakfast at the Urbana Cracker Barrel.  There was family to share my awe and love of certain landmarks.  The silent sentinels of Paw Paw, however, were there.  As they whispered the wind into energy they reminded me with their breathy voices that I have purpose.  So do you and it is the same.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."