Flying Lesson

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to take a thirty-minute flying lesson and then to actually fly a small Cessna airplane – with the assistance of a trained pilot beside me, of course! When teaching me about the instrument panel, the pilot introduced me to a mechanism that gave the attitude of the plane. I said to the pilot, “I’ve met lots of people with an attitude, but I would have never guessed that an airplane had an attitude!”

The pilot told me that the attitude gauge on the plane serves as an artificial horizon and allows the pilot to know if the plane is in a “nose-up” or a “nose-down” position.  He went on to say that “the attitude gauge is very important when you are flying at night, in fog, or in other impaired conditions. If you fly too long in a nose-down position, you will eventually crash.” The pilot certainly had my attention at that point!

Now for the most important question in my article – Are you living your life with a “nose-up” or a “nose-down” attitude? The more we focus on God and look to Him, the higher we fly in life! However, when we focus exclusively on the cares of this world, it can lead to an unexpected crash. Your attitude determines your altitude in life!

As we live in a chaotic world, it is very easy to look down and become obsessed, stressed, and depressed. However, God gives us an opportunity to look up and when we do, it changes our attitude. One of my favorite verses is Revelation 4:2, in which John states, “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.” The fact that Sovereign God is upon the throne of this universe should keep us encouraged as we do life and ministry. Keep looking up!