Faith Takes Practice...

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.

Henry Ford 

Great quote!  Most of the time, we feel the force of the "wind" and want to move with it because the struggle seems too great.  When we do let the wind push us, we find ourselves struggling to get back to where we started, fatigued and frustrated.  How incredible is the faith that sees this as the opportunity to rise above the challenge and go farther than imagined!  

Why is this an act of faith?  Look at the position you would be in when spreading your wings...arms spread out, absolutely no protection and leaning into the on-coming gust of wind.  We are at our most vulnerable, giving up our control of the situation and trusting God to use the storm to lift us up.  Lifting us "on the wings of eagles...", (really cool verse!)  

So how do we know when to "let go" and let God lift us?  My belief is that while we think in terms of our current physical state...6'3" 250 pounds (somewhat challenging to lift for anything less than a hurricane-like issue) our faith can make us like a feather when it comes to God's loving support and guidance.  How many times do we say, "I've got this, I will save my prayers for the "big" stuff", or "I am not going to bother God with a prayer for direction on what carpet to buy, that's not what prayer is for."  My challenge to whoever reads this, is that we need to get better with practice.  

Pilots fly thousands of hours to improve take-off and landings, adjusting for storms and technical challenges, experiencing the wonder of being thousands of feet above the earth.  None of that happens without first facing the on-coming wind and accelerating into it.  For the person who is not a pilot, what an incredibly frightening experience to be in the cockpit during take-off!  For the pilot that lives it every day, reviewing their checklists and preparing for the task, it is just natural.  We take off into the wind every day...are we prepared?  Believe me, every day has its own storm front; traffic, laundry, homework or just trying to figure out how we fit into the big scheme of things.  Each of these opportunities to log flight time in faith will strengthen you for the upcoming challenges that may include a little more fear or second-guessing. Practice is paramount!  Reviewing your checklist is a must! (that's the Bible for those of you that cannot keep up with my over-obvious writing :) )  But each day we must, above all else, lean into the wind in order to take off.

C.S. Lewis had a great analogy about the debate over predestination versus free will that I will very loosely attach to my point.  His thought was that in life we are marching in a parade, through a large city where we can only see a short distance ahead as we try to stay on the parade route.  We have the ability to choose where we turn down side streets, or stay with the group, change groups or simply stand still.  Meanwhile, God is represented as the helicopter following the parade from high above.  He can see all of the options you have while on your journey, knowing the outcome of each choice while letting you make decisions along the way.  The point was that as participants in the parade, we should take time to look up and see where the helicopter was so we could align ourselves with what the parade route should truly be.

Now for the very loose attachment and an apology for C.S. Lewis having to roll over in his grave for being attached to my blog...

If we allow ourselves to be lifted by faith and aligned with God through our release of control over our lives, wouldn't we then have a better view of where God is leading us?  As we grow closer to God, don't we become more like Him?  I have been married for over twenty years and what they say is true...you do pick up mannerisms and traits along the way.  Certainly the word "Sweetie" was not predominant in my vocabulary before I met my wife, but now I use it all the time, and do not whisper it around my friends.  How cool are the attributes of God that we can pick up as we grow closer to Him!  How cool to demonstrate how great God is in more than just a whisper!  People are still amazed at the ability of a plane to get airborne.  How much more to see a person lifted above adversity by their faith! :)