So I was on a plane yesterday. I went out to Denver to check out Denver Theological Seminary. It was a very beneficial trip. Great people, great weather, and a great area.
On my way back, it was extremely foggy in Michigan. I am starting our decent and I could not see anything. I was looking out, and for a brief moment, there was small panic in my mind. What happens if we do not see the ground? What happens if it is this foggy all the way to the ground? What if a plane was flying directly at us, we would never see it? What if, what if, what if.
I found a lot of clarity in that fog. First is because I kind of feel, in a lot of ways, like I am living in the fog I was flying in. My life, as it seems, is a bit uncertain at this moment. The main reasoning for this is because I have not been able to figure out exactly how I am going to pay for Seminary. I know that I am being lead to Seminary, and I know that God has been greatly involved in the entire process; but it is extremely difficult to fly in the fog knowing there is ground underneath you that you cannot see. I saw a lot of parallel with God’s position and my position in this. Please let me explain.
I am me in this situation. I am staring out of the window looking down and not seeing anything resembling land (keep in mind I know we are geared down and approaching for landing). God is the Pilot. What the pilot realizes, and has in his grasp is something very important, an altimeter. He knows at exactly which altitude we are flying. He knows exactly where land is. God knows exactly where land is. I found a strange sense of peace in my world. Thinking thoughts like, what if another plane hits us, was not beneficial. This was addressed in Matthew when talking about worry. In fact, it was also addressed in 1 Peter 5:7 where God says cast all of your anxieties onto Him, cause He cares for you. Worrying about where the ground will be was ultimately ineffective. Mainly because there is a landing-place out there, and yes, there is an experienced pilot in my world. He’s done this more than once.
As we got closer, I will estimate a thousand feet in the air(it was seriously that cloudy), I saw ground. I will not be too embarrassed to say that there was a small bit of relief in my heart, but it was more because the tension was broken. The excitement of the adventure was over and I saw my landing-place. In either case, whether I am landed or not, I do not think, after my flight, I can grow old of the tension. It is the hardest thing I have ever gone through, but it is growing me in ways I never thought possible.
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Food for thought: In my most vulnerable moments, I feel like reading the Psalm David wrote in 139. Read it, know it, love it. I praise God because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Before I was formed in the womb, God knew me (Jeremiah 1:5). Read Psalm 139 twice. Pray it if you have to. If God is your pilot, who cares where you land if you know you will land safely? Food for thought.
leadershape 