Anticipating Turbulence

The last job endeavor I had prior to having children was the prestigious job of being a flight attendant on one of America's favorite airlines. I remember how elegant I felt walking from Jet Bridge to Jet Bridge in all the different airports across the country. I would arrive on each aircraft and go through my checkpoints not thinking much about the fact that this 100,000-pound aircraft was about to soar to over 10,000 feet in the sky. It was simply my job to fly with our passengers from Point A of their journey to Point B.

More than a decade later I find that I now think/ worry a little more about the complexities of flying this giant bird in the sky. I often find myself paying close attention to every sound and every bump as we soar across the sky. My mind races through the logical process of trying to remind myself that turbulence is a very common part of flying, however still the potholes in the sky cause me and I am sure many other passengers to tense up, clutch our pearls, and pray in tongues when we feel them.

On my latest flight the Lord pointed something out to me. When the pilot came over the aircraft speaker prior to take-off, he gave us our flight time, what number in line we were for take-off and then he said "we are expecting a little turbulence on this flight but once we get through it I will turn off the seatbelt sign so that you can move about the aircraft". In my many years of flying it had never occurred to me that the wonderful Pilots that fly these giant birds often fly with the full awareness and anticipation that they will hit turbulence and, they are confident that they have the skills and equipment to get through this uncomfortable moment in the journey. In that moment it hit me "Wow this guy knew the flight would be rocky but he took off anyway because he knew/believed we'd be safe". The thing about Pilots that I do know from my time as a flight attendant and my husbands 12 year Air Force career, is that they don't want to be in a even slightly unsafe aircraft any more than we do. They have families and lives they have plans of returning to as well. This simple yet powerful realization made me feel just a little bit safer flying that day.

I must admit I'm also guilty of operating in my own day-to-day life with this same level of anxiety as God graciously pointed out to me. Often, I present myself to God praying that his will be done in my life, asking that he takes the wheel in my life, praising him, and telling him that I trust him to Pilot my life. However, the moment I hit turbulence, I clutch my pearls and ask myself if this flight is safe all of a sudden the Pilot's qualifications come into question LOL. Just like the Pilot on my flight to Georgia, God anticipated this small disruption in my otherwise smooth flight. He has mapped out every detail of this journey and concluded that I would be safest on this route. Regardless of God's preparation, our "Father is aware of the reality of how much we allow fear and doubt to get in the way along the journey. In fact, "Do Not Fear" is mentioned 365 times in the Bible, ironically (or not) that averages out to a minimum of once a day the Lord is reminding his children that he is in control and has anticipated every detail of this journey.

In Joshua chapters 1 & 2 as Joshua is being appointed to take over leading the Israelites after Moses passed away the very first thing God commands Joshua to remember his command to "Be strong and Courageous, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you Go" (Joshua 1:9). When reading this is Joshua another small yet impactful thing that we often forget is the part where God says "The Lord your God will be with you whereever you go", just like the Pilot on that aircraft the Lord is traveling with you and he has plans for his will to prosper as well, in fact he walks with the confidence of knowing that the route he is taking you will 100% get you to your destination.

If this isn't enough to make you confident in your journey, I want to take you to another highlight in my study of the book of Joshua, in chapter 2 Joshua sends spies into the promised land to scout out the land, a prostitute named Rahab took them into her home and hid them. (It used to bother me that these labels followed Bible characters however, I now see how important it is to note) The king caught wind that these men were there and he sent men to Rahab's home. As the men laid atop of Rahab's roof she distracted the men that the king sent by sending them in the wrong direction. When she returns to the roof where the Israelite men lay she says some very important things. First, she says " I know that the Lord has given you this land" Second she says We have heard what your God has done," and lastly she says " our hearts melted in fear and everyone's courage failed". (Joshua 2:8-11) My friend not only is God going with you but the enemy already knows what God has promised you, your father's reputation precedes you and the enemy is already trembling in fear. This means the people of Jericho already knew they were fighting a losing battle, but the enemy is no stranger to fighting a battle he can't win. So why then would he choose to continue to fight you might ask. Because his only possible strategy is to distract and discourage you so much that you forfeit your promised land. If he creates enough turbulence on your journey you might just forget the qualifications of your Pilot and ask him to land this plane in a destination it wasn't intended to stop.

My Friend, Jeremiah 29:11 is a verse we often say but do we truly believe that our father is who he says he is, that he has the qualifications that he says he does? For he knows the plans he has for you, plans to prosper you and NOT to harm you, plans to give you hope AND a future. My prayer for you is that you would trust the qualifications of your Pilot, that you would know that you're taking a journey that God has guaranteed will get you to a land overflowing with milk and honey, don't let the enemy discourage you enough to land in this desert place. The Lord has so much more in store for you. He say's you are mine and I am yours.