Josiah Road

Out Of Control!

I hate flying. I have had opportunities to fly overseas several times, and the air travel has always been miserable. At first I thought this resulted from the severe lack of anything to do while in the plane, but I have recently discovered this is not the only reason. The real explanation is that I’m scared. It’s funny, because I participate in much more dangerous activities everyday (such as riding shotgun while my brother drives), but every time a plane hits turbulence I start to panic. I struggle grasping the fact that an unknown pilot is deciding my destiny while thousands of feet in the air!

Several years ago, my family was flying to a warmer destination during the cold Christmas months and I ended up sandwiched between my brother and sister. As I scrambled to get my surroundings somewhat in order, my sister asked if I would help her. Now, to my sister, “carry-on baggage” means “you-can-bring-it-on-if-you-can-lift-it,” and she needed me to make her massive suit case fit under the seat. I began to clear out any unnecessary items under the seat in order to make room for her “carry-on” (at least if they lost our luggage the five of us could live comfortably out of her provisions!). I started removing bags, jackets and magazines until I reached for something that seemed to be stuck and heaved with all my strength. I heard a groan in front of me. Oh, no, inorganic objects aren’t supposed to groan… In horror I realized what I had done. I had grabbed the foot of the passenger in front of me and had pulled him halfway out of his seat. What do you say to the man after that? I don’t know either, so instead I burst out laughing with my sister as the man got up and found an un-occupied seat far from us…

Not being in control is a scary thing. The thought of letting God direct my life often terrifies me because it means putting my life in someone else’s hands. However, I have also begun to realize why I need pilots: I need pilots because I can’t fly. If I were to fly a plane, it would not get very far! Flying with an unknown pilot may be scary, but not nearly as scary as flying myself! I have seen the lousy job I do when I try to play God. I try to take control of my surroundings and end up grabbing people’s feet and messing everything up. God says, if we trust in Him, He will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5). It’s ok to have God in control, because He loves us. He’s not going to let us crash but will help us navigate through this life. I’ve seen where my own direction leads, and now I’m happy to let God be the pilot.