Recently I boarded Delta for a flight to Seattle. I settled in for my not so favorite way to travel, but there's little choice with family so far away. As I heard the flight attendant prepare the cabin for departure, I was reminded of how a person is totally out of control, totally in the hands of another. We have to trust they will do what they say; deliver us to our destination. I held my breath as we lifted off. 

Every time I fly I think about how the plane is really too heavy to stay in the air!  Add to its weight, the weight of 200 or so people and all their luggage, plus the crew and you have a  load! On top of that, add the fog! I am always amazed that I stay in my seat. Tons of metal and humans racing through the air with zero visibility. The bottom line: I have to trust the pilot and his crew. They tell me they can get me to where I want to be. On my last flight, the fog was intense. Even with knowledge that the crew relies on instruments and not their visual acuity, I shook my head. Some things you just have to accept. 

As the aircraft jutted higher and higher, a few rays of light peaked through. Suddenly the fog was gone. The layer of clouds and fog was far below. I reached for the shade to filter the sun from my eyes. What a difference our climb made! 

Our faith is much like the flight I just described. Life brings clouds to our lives and fog appears out of nowhere. Sometimes we don't know what to do or where to turn. We want to cry out, "Stop the world, let me get off!" But we know that's not an option. Still, there is no seeing ahead. Have you been in places such as this? I have. Because I have asked God into my life, I pray for guidance. This guidance does not come in an audible voice. No one comes to take my hand saying, "Come this way!" It takes praying and believing God's spirit will lead me in the right path as I make my decisions or go through the problems of life. We sometimes may question the storms. But storms make us stronger. Storms make us admit we are not in control. They point to a great need in our life for someone to watch over us. I'm glad my parents knew the answers to storms. They taught me where to go.
 
I think back on my last fight to the pilot's voice when he said, "We are flying at 30,000 feet. We will be climbing to 32,000 feet for a smoother ride." Interesting statement when you look at it from a Christian perspective. The higher we go with Jesus Christ, the smoother our ride. The more of our life we trust to Christ, the easier it is to bear the weight the world tosses at us. It's a truth that our altitude affects our attitude. We can face each day, knowing God has our best interest at heart. He is the author of love, so He knows what it really is to love us. That's who I have watching over me!  When bad things happen to me, I know God allowed it for a reason. He didn't make it happen. He just allowed it, with knowledge of the future and the outcome.  

As I watched the sun set on my long flight, I realized I was in good hands, both with the pilot and with God. I left the cabin with a sign of relief and the words, "Thanks for a good flight." They kept their word to get me to my destination. Someday I want to bow to Christ and say, Thank you for getting me Home safely.

 Interesting thought about my flight: 
The sun was there all the time. The clouds just obliterated it for  a while.

   Interesting fact about life:  
 The "son" is there all the time. Problems make Him seem far away.
   But if we have asked Him to be a part of our life, rest assured, He's there.

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