Life's Many Take-Offs

This picture was taken from the air plane when the pilot was preparing for take off. The sky was a thick layer of condensed water vapour, seemingly too heavy to hold itself up for much longer, threatening to collapse upon the earth.

Where was the blue sky? There were the mountains, the grass, the buildings but of the blue sky, there was no trace of it anywhere. Why does the weather bid me goodbye in such a dull and gloomy manner? Why, these irritating clouds that stand between me and the otherwise mesmerizing blue sky!

If that was not bad enough, the plane took off; the higher it went, the larger the clouds seemed. I do not want to go near those clouds, the very cause of my separation with the blue sky. Soon enough, the plane got lost in the clouds and everything outside was nothing but the pale white that clouded my vision entirely. There was no mountains, no grass, no buildings; only white, which seemed to demand its permanence. The turbulence took the plane in all directions as it pleased, leaving the plane helpless and handicapped. When was it going to end? Oh, how torturous was the instability, the nauseating sensation it had caused. Was I going to endure on or was I going to surrender to the paper bag tempting my weakness?

Just when I began to accept that the white was here to stay, the plane suddenly emerged from the clouds, stabilised, maintaining its speed and altitude. Life in the plane resumed its normality and the seat belt sign was switched off. When I looked out of the window, voila! The deep blue sky greeted me. I could see the blue, at last! Oh, what a breath-taking view it was! I looked down on the clouds and then sat back to marvel at the beauty beyond them.

Life presents us with many such episodes of "taking off". If we were to read back on the account of the aeroplane taking off but this time, replacing the clouds with our difficulties, sufferings, pain, sadness, worries, fears, and replacing the blue sky with happiness, joy, peace, GOD, I would like to think that it will shed some light on the truth of our life experiences.

No one can escape from difficult situations and certainly, no one has the power like that in a strong wind, which can shift the clouds away and clear the sky. If the clouds are there, the plane goes through it. If the turbulence knocks the plane around, the plane rides on it. We can only fasten our seat belts and ride along. Can the clouds be so thick that the plane cannot ascend high enough to get pass it and meet the blue sky? Can the turbulence knock the plane right down, smashing it back onto the earth? So it is in our difficulties, our trying moments. When we see nothing but ourselves being engulfed in problems and negative feelings, put on the protection and security of our faithful and loving God, and then ride on with the plane, knowing that the blue sky will soon emerge. Putting on God as our shield does not necessarily make the problems go away but we will have the certainty that we are not alone; Someone is riding the turbulence by our side, Someone is also seeing the same white clouds and feeling all gloomy with us. The fearfulness of the ride will be disarmed and put well in perspective by a calm assurance. Let us put our trust in God now and always, hand our lives into His hands without hesitation, and then, rely on Him for everything we need for the journey. God's peace to all.

Thursday 16 June 2011
1.48am