"Shaky Landings"
Ginger Plowman
Author, Speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries
Key Verse:
"The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is
the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
Devotion:
Isn't it funny how the personality traits that first attracted us to
our husbands drive us crazy later? Take my husband Jim, for instance. He
has always approached adventure with reckless abandon. The fact that
he enjoyed rappelling down steep mountains Australian style (upside down)
and making 230 foot bungee jumps sent shivers of excitement and
intrigue through my entire body, making him the most irresistible man I had ever
met. So I married him.
Thirteen years and two kids later, I was frying pork chops when Jim
waltzed into the kitchen with that mischievous boy-have-I-got-an-idea-now look on his face. The wild zeal in his eyes
told me I needed to brace myself for what was coming next.
"I want to fly airplanes," he grinned. I wanted to cover my ears and
chant, "I'm not going to listen to you. I'm not going to listen to
you." But instead, I decided to be mature about it.
"Have you lost your mind? Do you think I'm going to offer my blessing
and seal my fate as a widow at the age of thirty-five? If you do this,
I'm never speaking to you again!" (Stomp, stomp, stomp, slam).
Two days and many prayers later, I boldly proclaimed (with one hand on
my pajamaed hip and the other waving my toothbrush in the air), "Okay,
if you want to do this it's fine with me. But let's get one thing
clear, buddy. Neither I nor any of your offspring will ever get in
that airplane with you!"
Three months later, I was climbing into the back of the airplane. Jim
kissed my cheek and promised, "You're gonna love it." My excessive
fear of heights, however, was screaming otherwise. To make matters worse,
Jim's flight instructor announced, "Jim, today we're going to work on
your shaky landings."
I leaned forward and lightly tapped the instructor's shoulder. "Excuse
me, what did you say? For a second there I thought you said we were
going to work on Jim's shaky landings."
The instructor chuckled at my anxiety as Jim began speaking some sort
of numeric jargon into the microphone. "Auburn traffic Sky hawk
eight-niner-eight-four-seven departing runway three-six." But all I
heard was, "Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! We're all going to die!"
With eyes tightly shut and sweat pouring from my otherwise calm
demeanor, I decided the seat belt was not all it's cracked up to be. I
assumed crash position. I braced myself by pressing my feet against
the back of the front seats and my palms flat on the ceiling of the plane
(for when we rolled, of course). I began confessing all of my sins as
I begged for God's mercy. I felt the plane lift off the runway. Nothing
happened. Ten minutes later, I forced open one eye to see if I had
arrived at the pearly gates. Nope, it wasn't the pearly gates but it
was something that took my breath away: a thrilling and fantastic view of
God's creation.
Looking back, I realize that the way I protested going flying with Jim
is the same way I often protest going somewhere God wants me to go.
When God first called me to speak and write on a national level, I
wanted to cover my ears and chant, "I'm not going to listen to you. I'm
not going to listen to you." I questioned, "Do You think I'm going to
make a big fool out of myself by speaking in front of thousands of
people all over the country?"
Two years later, I was speaking all over the country and being
interviewed on national television and radio. Was it against my will?
At first, you bet it was. The fear and anxiety that plagued my heart
every time I took the microphone threatened to choke out my obedience.
Then one day, I opened one eye and looked around. I saw what God saw:
the beauty of His handiwork through an obedient life.
Do I experience shaky landings? Yep. However, I have found that even
in disastrous situations, God still fulfills His purpose when I
surrender to His will.
We must not wrap ourselves in a cocoon of fear and anxiety over what
might happen if we move out of our comfort zones. We must obey God's
calling on our lives. We must step out in faith and allow Him to take
the clumsy caterpillar and transform it into a beautiful butterfly. He
has a perfect plan for our lives that can only be fulfilled if we are
willing to shed our cocoons and fly with Him. In spite of the shaky
landings, it's worth the ride.
My prayer for today:
Lord, I know you have called me to serve you. Help me to overcome the
fears of this world and to cling tightly to you. I trust that you have
a plan for my life. I know that if I trust you, follow you, and obey
you, I can rest in the safety of your will. Thank you for being my
strength when I am weak and my refuge when I am scared.