Flying Faith

I recently went on a wonderful vacation with my wife to California (travel blog posts, coming soon.)

Getting there required a plane ride, which for me, is a major deal. I dislike flying. Understatement of the year, there. Flying to me is basically a mild form of torture.

I don’t know what it is, but I have never enjoyed flying. Numerous incidents of strong turbulence over the years, whatever it’s been…I dread flying and do pretty much anything to avoid it.

For this trip though, it meant getting on a plane. So, I did. 🙂

Takeoff was fine, and we got to cruising altitude – but that’s when the bumps started. A few here and there, then the flight attendants were told to sit down, because it was going to be “choppy”. Ayiee.

It got really bumpy. I was entering panic mode. But, check this out.

I do a little reading on planes to pass the time. Happened to be on this page, right as this was going on.

Matthew 8:23-27
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Just a moment or two after I started to read this – the bumps stopped. Everything smoothed out. It was completely calm. Amazing.

Great metaphor for life here, friends.

What are you afraid of? What area of your life is a little short on faith right now? Flying is definitely one of mine! But God says, if we give Him our fear and replace it with faith, He will make things calm in our lives. Amen!

Let your faith fly today, everyone. Have a great day.

Your Worries Can Wait

Matthew 6:27
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Did anyone raise their hand and say “I can!” in response to that question? Yeah, me neither.

Worries can overwhelm us as human beings. Life is full of stress, and decisions to be made, and priorities to sort out, and so much more.

But if we keep carrying our worries with us everywhere we go and letting them dominate our thoughts, they can run us down.

I came across this for the first time in a while and thought I’d share it here – if you’ve never read it before, it’s worth a minute of your time.

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”

As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.

So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.

This part broadens it a bit…

So my friend, put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don’t pick it up again until after you’ve rested a while.

Don’t let your worries overwhelm you. Take a break from the stress, think positive, and pray often. It will all be ok, whatever it might be 🙂

Encouraging Words

Just a short post today with some encouraging words for you, wherever you are in your walk of life.

Have a great day.

Matthew 7
7 Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.

 

Blessed are…

Matthew 5
³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, 
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, 
   for they will be comforted. 
⁵ Blessed are the meek, 
   for they will inherit the earth. 
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 
   for they will be filled. 
⁷ Blessed are the merciful, 
   for they will be shown mercy. 
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, 
   for they will see God. 
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, 
   for they will be called children of God. 
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, 
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Hopefully these words will encourage you if you are in need of encouragement right now.

Have a good day everyone.