Take flight

Sunday, a friend of mine took me flying. The car journey there was the longest 10 minutes of my life and the internal debate of rational vs. excitement was hard won. You see, I don’t' like flying. I don't think I'm scared of crashing; it's more the dubious yet apparently plausible physics behind it. When you fly in large planes it's a much less real experience (for me anyway); You get on this big bus, watch movies for 8 hours and step out into another country.

This plane was tiny, tiny in the way a fiat bambina is tiny, except without as much leg room, and the wind made it look like it was held together with blue tack.
AS my friend went through his well practiced check list, yanking this and wiggling that my internal monologue continued - dramatically enough that tears started to well up in my eyes looking at this large sardine can with wings.

The issue I was battling with was trust. I am the queen of self reliance and control. I don't like being vulnerable. I don't like not having control and honestly, I have a hard time trusting people. The fact that I stepped up into that plane I hope he takes as a huge compliment.

Now apart from my unfortunately not outgrown ability to scream like a girl, I learnt two important things on that flight...

1) (which I have to attribute to the pilot for pointing it out) When we, from the ground, look up and see a plane, we see just that, a distant object in the sky. We do not realise that they, in looking back at us, see the fields, buildings, mountains, seaside, trucks, cars, houses etc that surround us. They see not only us as the object but the wider context into which we fit.
I believe that the same can be said of God.
As we look up at Him (sometimes as a distant object) we don’t realise the bigger picture in which He sees us. Not just physically but also chronologically.
It is for this very ability that planes are employed in search and rescue, spotting fires and accidents. Also why, when you want to get an accurate contextual picture you get an aerial photograph.
How then does our understanding of our circumstances change when we realise that God holds the big picture? How much more are we able to trust Him when we begin to understand that He sees what we cannot?

2) The surrender, the relinquishing of control, the trust and the risk more accurately describe the Christian faith for me than the routine, conservative and legalistic faith to which so many Christians subscribe.
God beckons us to come and fly with Him – an act of surrender and trust. Parts of the ride are exhilarating, others breathtaking. Quite frankly there are times when it is just plain terrifying. Sometimes you hit turbulence, bad weather, or you just get plain sick. No matter what happens during flight there are two, I guess three guarantees.
A) God’s love will never leave you nor forsake you.
B) There is a place for you to spend eternity with Him and
C) There is no way you can walk away from it without your perspective changed.

So how am I different today because of this new adventure?

Despite the circumstances of my life, I will trust God for He sees the things I cannot. When He calls I will follow His voice. Where He calls me to be His hands and His feet I will go, but most of all, I will lay down my rights. I will hand over my fears. I will shelter in His arms and trust Him to make me whole.