Landing

Deuteronomy 20:1 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.


I have traveled by air a fair bit in my life. I have had some real interesting experiences on airplanes. I have met some fascinating characters, sometimes really friendly people and sometimes not. It is a strange thing to be confined in such a small place, way up in the air,  with hundreds of strangers for hours on end. Sometimes our conversations have gone to the most interesting places. I have met a lot of fellow believers on airplanes and we have discussed our faith and the various times we have seen God's hand move in our lives. Those were some of the most pleasant flights I have ever had. Some of those folks were from places I have never been, like Sweden for example. I once met a former pinup model, now in her 50's, full of regrets, her perspective on life now dramatically changed now in her golden years. A doctor, now practicing natural medicine after seeing breakthroughs in natural chelation therapy and facing complete rejection by the medical community as a result. The list of interesting people I have met could go on and on. Universally, however, our conversations were always full of meaning and discussion that revolved around the important things in life. Something about flying with strangers can cause you to be fairly candid with people, surprisingly.

I was thinking a lot about this this morning. About take off, flying and landing airplanes. I was thinking about the take off seeming rather simple to the passenger, uncomplicated and routine most of the time. Sometimes flying can bring about turbulence, bumps and thumps here and there. But landing, well that is a whole other story. Landing feels like it is quite an undertaking. I perceive it as probably the most risky part of the business of flying. It might be routine to the pilot, but to the passenger many thoughts and concerns enter your mind when touching down. To me, as a passenger, it is the hardest part of a flight. Sometimes it can feel pretty rough.

I remember a trip I took from Atlanta, GA to Houston, TX. On the way to Houston I was on a regular Boeing 747. Nice big plane! However, returning to Atlanta we were on a very small plane. I can't for the life of me remember what kind of plane it was, but it was SMALL and the weather was BAD. That flight made me nauseous. We were up, we were down, we were shaking, everything was shifting and creaking. What a landing! We all applauded when the pilot landed the plane like our favorite team had won the Superbowl or something! What an adventure that was! One I hope to never repeat.

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Life kind of reminds me of flying. When you are taking off it can be a little scary, but you can handle it. When you are in the air most of the time the flight is pretty smooth. However, when you are landing, coming down, that can be pretty overwhelming, if we let it be.

We all have times of "landing". Being brought down for a season. A period of time we are to spend in the valley. We are not sure how it is all going to turn out, we just know that we are going down for a bit. It can feel like an eternity and like time is frozen as we wait on our "landing". It is really tempting to think about what could happen in that process or what you could have done to prevent it or should have done. The mountain tops of life are really much more enjoyable places to be, but the valleys are the necessary places we must visit from time to time. The valleys are places where we learn to rely on Him, find out where our weaknesses are and where we grow and mature.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

I wish that I could say that I have fully relied on Him with every "landing" in the valleys that I have experienced. I have at times "rested" in Him when I have seen it coming, but it seems to be a knee jerk reaction to brace for impact. The reptilian section of our brain automatically starts to kick in sending us to a state of fight or flight, when our spirit man is telling us to remain calm and rest in Our Father's arms. It is a battle between the flesh and the spirit. The outcome largely dependent on who wins the battle. Resting can be hard work. Seeing the forest through the trees a struggle. The big picture of what God is doing tends to elude us.

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

All of these landings, I think, are just preparation for the work that is ahead of us. Small potatoes, if you will. Although, I know, believe me, it doesn't "feel" like it. I think it is important to learn to distinguish between reality and what we feel. What we feel is often of the flesh, especially concerning fear. As believers we are told to not live by our flesh, but by the Spirit. How do we do that?

Psalm 27:1  Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?

We learn to trust our "Pilot". He knows what He is doing. It isn't up to us. He does see the runway, the big picture if you will and He has a plan. He is the one in control. He is the one on the throne. We choose to believe that He will get us safely on the ground and He will even meet us there and be with us in our valley never leaving us nor forsaking us. We release our grip on the idea that we have any control what so ever. We remain in the safety of His Torah and in His presence. It is so simple, but we overcomplicate it so much. We just...let.....go.

Many blessings to you!