Let's reach the finish line

"Thud!" There it goes again. What is that noise I keep hearing?

Imagine my surprise to see a bird hitting our window pane. I watched in utter amazement. Every few seconds that same little bird hit the same pane, batting his little bird brain with what I imagined a big

"ouch!"

You surely are a slow learner," I thought to myself. "How many

blows does it take for you to learn?"

Then a painful impression came to me about my brain. That little bird is only going by when he can see and doesn't realize insanity is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting different results. I catch myself doing the same thing like that frustrated bird. At times I forge full speed ahead and hit an obstacle. Not having learned the lesson, I do the same thing again. I am finally discovering that if I don't learn the lesson the first time, I must go around the mountain again. I must fly by faith not by what I can see.

I was told a story about a pilot in a small plane. He remembered his instructor had told him if ever found himself in a thick fog to bear in mind an important concept: A pilot's tendency in a fog is to fly downward, thus getting dangerously close to the ground, so let the plane have full reign … let go and let the plane fly by faith.

One day the pilot found himself in just such a situation. Visibility was zero. The pilot strongly felt he must fly downward, but he remembered his instructor's admonition: "Let the plane fly by faith."

The pilot followed his instructor's advice and immediately he felt the plane rise, gaining a safe altitude. Ultimately he rose above the fog and initiated a safe landing.

You and I may not be pilots, but many times we find ourselves surrounded by problems with no visibility. We are dangerously close to crashing. It is so important at these times to listen to our instructor's voice:

"Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7 NCV).

I must live by faith because there is an invisible Kingdom that I cannot see and there is a "King of kings" guiding me. It is not how fast I run, but what really matters is how long I run. Do I stay in the race? So I almost reach the finish line and then quit because of discouragement, weariness or some other distraction?

No … I will not be like my bird with his feeble little bird brain that insists on flying by what he can see. I will put my trust in the One I see through faith.

Jesus is my pilot. He knows my course.

I am getting in the "plane of faith" and flying to a safe landing.

Let's reach the finish line!

Portales resident Joan Clayton is a retired teacher and published author. Her e-mail address is:[email protected]