Laced With Grace

Thursday, an Aero-med helicopter crashed into the top of the hospital. Our class was at a baseball game when we heard the news – one of my co-workers has a nephew that works at the top of the hospital, so he was concerned.

As more news came out, we found that there were no serious injuries (praise God). We also found out that there were no patients on board. There was a pilot and an FAA flight instructor.

The pilot and the “co-pilot”.

It seems to me today that it matters not who my co-pilot is, if I am still the one clinging to the controls. When I am paying attention to the Spirit, when I am in Scripture, when I am in prayer…God is my pilot and He is in control. When I am controlling my life and getting my fingers into things – being my own pilot…things get messed up.

A few weeks ago I was flying from Grand Rapids to Chicago. We were the last plane out in that direction and the weather was very ugly…VERY UGLY. The pilot told us that we were going to up hard and fast to try to get above the storm. He told us that we were not to leave our seats for any reason. He told us that the flight attendants were not going to leave their seats for any reason. Don’t expect water, coffee, beverages, don’t expect to see the attendants. DO expect a bumpy flight.

And it was a very bumpy flight. One of the only times I’ve every thought I might need “the bag”. But we were in the hands of a competent pilot who knew the plan.

God is the pilot who knows the plan. Sometimes the ride is going to be bumpy, but He knows the plan and He is in control. If I had been the one who had any part of flying the plane that day, it would have been a very bad thing. I cannot fly a plane, but I trusted the pilot to get us where we were supposed to go.

Again I am reminded that if I am the pilot, and God is pushed over into the co-pilot position, I had better move over.

My little black kitty was running and playing around in the field behind our house when I realized he was not alone. I walked slowly into the field to see not one, but two enormous bald eagles. My husband and I kept following them, wondering when we would scare them off. They perched up high in a neighbor’s tree and as we got closer, I realized how tall they were. From up so high in the sky, they always look majestic, but up close and personal, their size intimidated me.

Eventually, the eagles flew off and we shooed the cat inside for his own well-being. Not long after the close-encounter with the eagles, I was on a walk and one of them swooped right over my head. Being so close to such a majestic bird made my heart beat faster.

I feel privileged to see these eagles (along with some osprey and hawks) on a very regular basis now. I love to watch the eagles effortlessly floating through the sky. They spiral around and gradually rise higher and higher. After a visit to a national park in our area, I learned how these eagles make their flights look so peaceful.

The eagle soars high above the earth by resting with his wings spread open, and by ceasing from activity. He does not flap his wings but instead trusts in the thermal currents to gently carry him up. The warming air rises and takes the bird along for the ride.

Isaiah 40
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

When I am weary and I feel like I’ve been flapping my wings against the wind, He will renew my strength. God requires only one thing of me: to put my hope in Him. When I admit my weakness and rest in Him, He causes me to soar. Like an eagle, I am lifted by His rising current and I find my strength and power in Him alone.

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 1 Corinthians 1:3-4

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the FPEA state wide homeschool convention. This was exactly what I needed. After struggling to find curriculum to engage my daughter, the struggles and constant leadership changes among my particular homeschool group and the feeling of being just burned out – this conference helped me to be renewed and ready to press on. The motivational speakers like Greg Harris and R.C. Sproul, Jr. not only encouraged me but reminded me of God’s truths and affirmed my commitment to do His will for my family. I was so excited when I got home from this conference that I still have not stopped talking about it.

The convention reminded me of the fact that Christian life is this way as well. We are here to encourage one another. Our church family should be the ones helping us press on in our walks with Christ. Ultimately, our Sunday morning church experience should bring glory and honor to Christ alone. However, I do think that when we make Christ our priority there is a sweet unity among believers that cannot be shared anyplace else. I believe when our lives revolve around the worship of God we cannot help but be obedient to the Word and encourage one another.

Another amazing thing about the Christian life is that encouragement is also found outside of our local church body. I think it is wonderful to see so many of us who do not even personally know one another encouraging each other through the blogging world. Comments of thoughtful wishes, get wells, ‘you can do it’s’ and even gentle corrections when warranted.

The past couple of weeks have been emotional for me personally in dealing with the loss of people I don’t necessarily know. First, there was the pastor in our community who was killed in a plane crash along with his 13 year old son. This tragedy is ever pressing, it is constantly talked about. Yet I have been blessed to drive by churches of other denominations with words of hope for this church family on their signs. Our own pastor stepped away from our expository exploration of the book of Philippians to deal with the loss as many in our church came from this other church and were grieving themselves. We as a Christian community have come together to pray for the wife and mom. Then last week, the tragedy with Steven Curtis Chapman and his precious adopted daughter. No, I did not know him or his family but feel a connection with them since I am a “fan” of him. I hurt for the family. I hurt for the son. Still I have found much encouragement in the blogging world by seeing again a rallying of Christians together to provide words of love and prayers. The last time I checked, the website set up in memory of Maria Chapman had over 17,000 words of encouragement from people who mostly probably didn’t even personally know the Chapman’s. What an encouragement that has to be to that family in this most difficult time.

Bell Shoals Baptist church (where Pastor Pollock was the pastor before the plane crash) had a tag line called, “The Fellowship of Encouragement.” I pray that each of you who reads Laced With Grace has a fellowship of encouragement. Encouragement in the good times, encouragement in the trying times, encouragement in the times of complete sorrow and mourning. My prayer is also that each time one of you visits here and reads devotion; you will leave feeling encouraged as well. I am so grateful God created His church and the Christian community to depend on each other. Let us be the comfort to one another through the grace of Christ Jesus alone. Be blessed today.