I marvel at the places that the pursuit of adventure has taken me, whether that’s skateboarding in China, snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains, or riding motorbikes in Southeast Asia. Aside from the common desire for excitement and experience, however, there is something else that is an inescapable part of the action sports lifestyle: flying. I love flying. I know most people have a love/hate relationship with airplanes but I can't get enough.
I would be lying, though, if I said there isn’t a split moment before every take off where I question whether or not this particular plane is going to make it. I understand they are normal feelings, yet I also understand that since their conception, airplanes have been tested, trialed, and experimented to ensure maximum efficiency and safety. Not to mention the millions and millions of people that fly every year.
Yet, I am still exhibiting a huge amount of trust into every airplane and every pilot I choose to get on board with. I don’t ever see safety reports, I don’t check the pilots or the crews credentials, and I certainly don’t analyze the plane to make sure everything nut and bolt is where it should be. Convention tells me that everything is going to be fine, so I simply find my seat and prepare for departure. Don’t get me wrong fear is definitely present but my default is not to be skeptical about every aspect of the flying experience.
Can you imagine what it would look like if we approached our relationship with God this way?
Approaching him with a healthy amount of fear and reverence, and a normal amount of doubt and skepticism, but ultimately trusting that He is going to be faithful and reliable just as He has been throughout all of time. Scripture, history, and tradition all paint for us a picture that God is as reliable as He claims to be. He does not change yesterday, today, or forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Yet we spend so much of our time asking for His credentials, wondering how to know whether or not we can trust Him and believe what He has said. The reality is, however, that He has already proven Himself over and over. He is infinitely more reliable than any aircraft you have ever sat in. The fact that you woke up this morning is proof of that. Yes, there will be turbulence, yes, there will be moments where you wonder if you are actually going to make it out alive, but at the end of the day, Jesus promises to be with you forever. (Matthew 28:20) So no matter where your pursuit takes you, and no matter how many times security guards in another country don’t know how to respond to you wanting to carry-on your skateboard (you can ask me about that later, I have too many stories to share) you are not alone. You were created to make an indelible impact on this world and you can trust that the God who formed you is the same God who will see you through every storm, and make no mistake, He is infinitely more trustworthy than any captain whose life your place your hands in every time you fly.
