I can see clearly now...

Yesterday I flew to New Hampshire and my connecting flight went through Charlotte, NC. As we approached Charlotte International Airport on the descent, the pilot’s voice came over the public address system to explain that the weather conditions in Charlotte were "extremely foggy." (How’s that for a professional weather report?) I’ve flown often enough that I paid little attention to the announcement, thinking that the cloud cover would probably be around 100 feet or so. We kept descending in clouds and fog so thick that I was suddenly and unexpectedly jolted by the wheels touching down on the tarmac. I was shocked! I literally couldn’t see the end of the wing from my window and yet we had landed safely.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that, if I couldn’t see the tip of the wing, then most certainly the pilots had the same limited visibility too. How on earth did they have the confidence to land the plane with such incredibly poor visibility? I mean, I don’t want to be morbid or anything, but if you can’t see the runway upon which you are planning to land, isn’t that tempting fate and inviting a potential ‘pancake’ onto the hard tarmac? The answer to that question is: not if you have the inside track on flying! You see, planes are equipped for instrument landing, which, in lay man's terms is an electronic guidance system that brings the plane in safely (to all you real pilots out there don’t get technical and hung up on the details of my description).

The only problem with instrument landings is that they go against everything that is natural to the mind. You want to be able to see where you’re going but in a heavy fog, you must learn to trust your instruments. Their precision under such circumstances is unparalleled by the human mind and vision. This means that you must be willing to give up control and trust that the instruments will do what they were made to do. It reminds me a lot of my own life. I’m often cruising in clear blue skies, but sometimes I hit a 'fog patch' and then I wrestle with whether or not to trust my ‘instruments’ (my knowledge of God and His word) to bring me in safely. The reality is though, that God’s faithfulness is unparalleled, and His desire for me to accomplish my purpose is greater than mine. So in the final analysis, because He guides me, I can see clearly, even when I can't! What’s your story?