Turbulence

When I am flying on a plane, as I often do for my training and consulting work, I rarely have a flight that doesn't experience some type of turbulence. According to the Microsoft Word dictionary, turbulence is defined as, unrest or a state of confusion characterized by unpredictability and uncontrolled change. How often have you found yourself in a situation that sounds like this?

Having flown so much, I've begun to realize a pattern. I've noticed that turbulence, or a shaking and unsteadiness of the plane, most commonly occurs when we are traveling through a cloud.

So, you start at one point (the ground) and your destination is your goal, but you rarely get to that goal without passing through some clouds.
While in the cloud, the plane shakes, sometimes mildly, other times violently and drops and dips may be felt. I've heard gasps and even screams from other passengers. Ultimately we don't have many choices other than to trust that the pilot will get us to our destination safely because even if by some slim chance we do have the skill or the knowhow, we don't have the power or the authority to take over and fly the plane.

This whole predicament is very much like life. A new beginning or a change in your life is very similar to the plane being on the ground before it takes off. The actual flight is your journey. Along your journey, you will face obstacles, or dark clouds...the turbulence.

Your first thought in flight is, "Is this plane going to crash?"

In life, your first thoughts include, "Why me?", " Are you punishing me God?" Or, "My life is over!"

We are so quick to anticipate the absolute worst.

Because I fly so frequently I've come to know that turbulence is par for the course. It is a natural part of the journey...so I sit back, say a prayer, and trust that the pilot will do all that is in his or her power to get us to our destination safely.

Again, the same is true in life. Just as I am a frequent flyer, I am also a frequent faither. As much as I want to, I do not lean on my own understanding, but I I trust that God will take it from here. There will be clouds of pain, hardship and despair. There may be trouble at home or on the job. It may seem that financial hardship is trying to take you under. There will be times of turbulence. A bad break up, or a seemingly irresolvable situation might be chipping away at your spirit. Through it all it is important to acknowledge that these circumstances are not the end of the world, but a natural part of life.

During a radio interview recently, I was asked if I would change anything in my past. My answer was "No" because everything that I have endured, no matter how painful or crazy has shaped who I am today by making me wiser, stronger and a living testimony that with faith, all things are possible. We cannot control it, so we must trust that our pilot will take care of us.

God is our pilot on the journey that is our life. Trust that he will get us to our destinations safely.