Plane Thinking

It's amazing how being thirty thousand feet in the air can give you a whole new perspective on life. Recently, I flew out to California and, as the plane cruised far above the desert and mountains, I realized how different life seemed from this precarious angle.

For example, I could actually see how insignificant human beings really are. Mountains look like wrinkles, rivers are ribbons and great cities are not more than dots of light.

From this height, people are indistinguishable from their surroundings and become insignificant simply because they are too small to be seen. Much like the indifference we feel towards the insect world because it is mostly invisible to the naked eye.

This thought soon gave rise to the more comforting idea that God sees and cares for each and every soul regardless of how small we seem to Him. Unlike us, who love less as we see less, God's love remains even and strong regardless of our proximity to Him.

Flying above the earth reminded me that it was so foolish to be proud and boastful when in reality we're so very, very small and vulnerable. It also taught me once again how tender He is, to be able to communicate and handle with love such tiny and fragile beings.

My meditations were broken by the pilot's announcement of our arrival and this spurred me on to make my own helplessness obvious by asking the Lord for the flyer's most frequent prayer – a safe landing.