SECOND WIND

“Sooner or later you’ll get your second wind.”

~Billy Joel, You’re Only Human

(Second Wind), 1985.

Self-forgiveness is a platform, a unit in the course at the University of Life. According to Wikipedia the song, You’re Only Human (Second Wind), was written and recorded for the purposes of teenage suicide prevention. When we offer ourselves grace a.k.a. self-forgiveness, a wonderful thing is possible—we get our second wind.

And if the numbers of teens suiciding is any indication for the whole population, particularly regarding depression versus resilience, we have a serious mental, emotional and spiritual monster on our hands.

Yet, resilience is power and available to all, equally. But resilience is only possible through self-forgiveness. We must extend to ourselves this grace which accepts ourselves back into the fold.

The truth is there is power—of self-forgiveness and therefore resilience—before all of us.

Second winds have a fabulous infamy about them—if we hold out in faith, they always come! At the time when we’re most ready to give up, having already tried most patiently, that ‘ole second wind comes along.’

For the exhausted of heart, there’s a lot worse you could be doing than dusting off that old 45 and engaging the needle on vinyl. For those not aware, it’s the old record player I’m talking about. And sometimes we forget too what this thing of resilience is all about. We can only be resilient if we’re first at some sort of overall, underlying (accepting) peace with ourselves.

Focussing on our second wind is the expression of our faith. Faith is best engendered under a foundation solid and interminable. The second wind is God’s reward for holding out patiently in faith.

In sum, forgive yourself to grow your resilience, which in turn will engender the expression of faith—faith expressed (often longer than we think!) engenders the second wind.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.