Article July 18, 2005 Issue

THROUGH A SPIRITUAL LENS

WINNOWING BREEZE OF SPIRIT

MERELICE,—BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS

Much as I enjoy this photo, I know I can't take full credit for it. The spray of wispy clouds (which I could not manufacture and did not have time to place carefully in the shot) appears to pour into the grain and adds significant drama to the family silhouette below.

What adds even more drama today is knowing where this scene occurred. I was with a Bible Land study group touring seven Middle Eastern countries. Just short decades ago, Biblically reminiscent scenes like this could still be found in many places. This family dwelt in a Kurdish village in northern Iraq, where winnowing was a common activity.

In his parables, Jesus often drew on familiar surroundings to teach a moral or spiritual lesson. How much the world needs a winnowing thought process about this region today! Couldn't thought be lifted in prayer to realize that the violence, conflicts, and tragedies of the world are naturally fanned away like chaff by the winnowing breeze of Spirit, God?

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