ENJOY THE JOURNEY

I enjoy flying, but I know that many of you may not share this same feeling because of the fear that comes from not being in control or not being confident that you will make it to your desired destination. I understand this and that’s why I appreciate it when the pilot gives his pre-fight briefing to us in the cabin, one that usually sounds something like this: “Welcome aboard. Our trip today will take us up and over the Arctic and then on to a southerly heading as we approach Tel Aviv from the North. We do expect light to moderate turbulence along the way – not to worry, as all of us up front will see to it that your safety remains our greatest priority.” I like to hear that. I like to hear that the pilot knows what is up ahead and that he’s prepared.

Truthfully though, even a well-trained pilot can only do so much if his aircraft encounters trouble, because he’s merely human. But Jesus, fully God and fully man, understands every anxiety-causing bump since He personally experienced life’s turbulence that is a result of sin. But not only that, He did something about it by taking the punishment for mankind’s sin in His flesh, making payment with His own blood. Dear believer, Jesus became our Hero who guaranteed that while life may be turbulent, we will make it to our destination. We can trust that He is in perfect control of every detail along the way!

Suffering is unsettling until we focus our minds on the fact that someone greater than us is at the controls, which is why Peter points to Jesus’ purposeful suffering and tells us to, “…arm yourselves also with the same mind…” Jesus then is to be our role model as we encounter the turbulence of life. Once we settle our thoughts on Him, we can joyfully surrender all to God because likewise our suffering must have an exact purpose. So, you and I can sit back and relax because we know that we will indeed make it to the end.