Flying -- A Reflection

by Dot Killian

The first time I flew in an airplane, I gave no thought to danger or risks, or malfunctioning of the wings, or anything other than getting home from college for homecoming at my former high school.

It was a short flight without incident and from that point on, flying was like second nature. But, then, I was on a flight that ran into extreme turbulence, the kind where everybody on the plane starts to pray as the plane dips and shakes and makes funny noises. This was a night flight out to the west coast, and all of the plane's lights went out, and then a tremendous bolt of lightning lit up the cabin. I knew that we were all doomed.

But then, the lights came back on. The plane started to fly smoother. We stopped praying and looked around to see if we were here or there. After that experience, flying became more challenging.

So, it is with our relationship with God. At first, it seems like an easy ride. You learn all the right words, and you go to Sunday School and worship, and Bible Study, and church retreats, and officer training, and even seminary. You glide along believing that the flight is trouble free. Then, you run into turbulence... Loss, death of a parent, a friend's divorce, health concerns, trouble with a co-worker, and then you realize that the journey is not all fun and games. Living is wonderfully challenging. The way has been laid out for us; yet, our journeys encounter headwinds and sometimes flocks of geese.

In these times, we can succumb to the turbulence, or we can engage the pilot who has full control of the aircraft and the wind. We can let go all anxiety and fear and move through the air with the assurance that our passage has been traveled by the One who gave his very life that we might live eternally. Our seat belts are mere tokens of safety, but this carpenter from Galilee, who is the Christ, has come to guide us safely home.