I'm so glad that even though I'm getting older, exciting adventures can still happen to me! Not too long ago I had the wonderful opportunity to fly in an airplane piloted by my son's father-in-law.

My son wanted to know if I was nervous or scared of flying in a small plane - but honestly, I didn't feel any concern at all! Maybe because Mark is an experienced pilot, or perhaps it was his wife Ruthie's relaxed calm (she slept on the way home!) or maybe it was just that I didn't have time to be nervous because I was so excited I wanted to bounce up and down on the seat like a little kid and ask about a kajillion questions. I managed to restrain myself - (by sitting on my hands and staring and staring out the window!)

With the engine noise, props, and wind speed it was pretty loud inside the cockpit so we wore head sets the whole way. It was sort of overcast when we started out, but when we rose above the clouds we were flying in the sunshine. And then we were right in the clouds! It was like a cotton candy ride at a carnival - surfing the top of the clouds, flying through them - awesome! We finally dropped back down where we had less wind resistance and turbulence and could get better airspeed.

After spending the day in Indianapolis, we flew back that night. Oh. My. Goodness! The lights below - the clear night sky with brilliant stars above - and a black horizon straight out in front of us. And then we were in the clouds again. At night, surrounded by a thick bank of clouds, the airplane's strobe lights bounced off the wall of white like lightening rods in a thunder storm. It was a little disconcerting not being able to see anything and knowing we were 5000 feet in the air. We could have been flying sideways, upside down, even straight down and I wouldn't have known the difference.

I found myself thinking that life can be like that impenetrable fog, not knowing what's ahead, what you might run into. As a trained and experienced pilot, Mark wasn't flying by sight - he used all the instruments on board that gave him the information he needed to keep us flying level and in the right direction.

Our guidance comes from God and His word. Without that 'instrument' to help us, we could end up flying upside down and sideways through life.

The view from the air is so very different than the one from the ground! When we can't see our way, or the journey gets difficult, we can struggle with not being able to see the end of the difficulty or the solution to the problem.

From the air, your whole perspective changes. God's view is not like ours from the ground where we see only obstacles. In His sovereignty, God knows the whole picture and sees the outcome long before we do.

When we rose above the clouds, we saw the sun that was hidden from those below us on the ground - a totally different perspective! Even watching the automobiles and traffic from the air gave new insight into seeing 'the big picture'. I could see miles ahead of the cars below while their view was obscured by hills, distance, and other vehicles.

Are you traveling some difficult pathways? Trust the One who can see where you are going!

All for Him,

Missy

Labels: Missy