Overcoming Life's Challenges: The Amazing NEW Reality the Resurrection of Christ Reveals

I do not like flying on planes. I really, really, do not like flying on small planes. Even worse, I do not like flying on small planes that take off and land from airports that you have to drive a mile on a dirt road to get to and that have no one controlling the tower to tell you if you are about to crash into another plane or not (not even sure how that is possible in today's world). But, last week on our trip up to Carolina to see my family, I got to do all of the above: boy was I excited. To be honest with you, I am not even sure that humans should fly anywhere. There is some part of me that believes we can fly only because of the fall of mankind in the garden. Yep, I know it's weird, but flying, like shaving, is ultimately a result of our sin. There is yet another part of me that believes that if God had intended humans to fly, he would have equipped us with wings to make that possible. After all, those creatures of His creation that do fly already come equipped with the necessary gear as a part of the Divine Design.

I mean, think about it. Do you actually think birds look down on us below and say, 'man (or bird), wouldn't it be cool if we could walk everywhere?' Yet, that is what happened one day a couple of centuries ago - a couple of folks looked up in the sky, apparently envying the bird, and flying was given its first burst of air to breath. We (in typical human fashion) haven't looked back ever since.

While I do not like flying on planes (sounds like a Dr. Seuss book every time I type it). I do love being with my extended family members up in South Carolina. Herein lies the problem. On our last trip to South Carolina (last week) if I was going to see my all of our family members it meant boarding one of those smaller planes from an airport with dirt roads leading to it with 4/5s of the Gainey clan and flying about 4500 ft. in the air for forty minutes or so. By the way, did I say that I hate flying?!? Yet, my love for family trumped my hatred of flying and we planned a quick flight up to see my sister.

Here's how this was going to work. My sister has a good friend who owns a plane and is a pilot. She and he were going to fly down to Hartsville and pick us up - take us back to Greenville and then return the following day. The day arrived - the kids were excited. Me, not so much. Melissa was not traveling with us because of her plans to go see her sister during the same time period. Which, by the way, made me even less excited to board a plane. She can attest to you that I usually have a pretty firm grasp on her hands during any flight I have ever taken with her. On this trip, I was up front with the pilot. While I thought about it on more than one occasion I decided against grabbing his hand and squeezing it for security.

I would like to tell you that when we got 4500 feet above the ground that I got comfortable and began conquering my fear of flying. However, that would be a lie. I did get some pretty good prayer time in up there (which is always a bonus when flying). In fact, as I looked down on God's amazing work, I found myself telling the Lord that if He would get me down safely, I would never, ever again test Him in this manner. Of course, it didn't help that once we got to 'cruising altitude' (terms which, by the way really don't apply to a flight), the pilot looked over and said, 'the seat reclines (as he reclines his own) so get comfortable.'

Boy, my spider senses started tingling with that one. I didn't want to be comfortable and am pretty sure that out of everyone on that flight the last person I wanted to be comfortable (much less reclining his seat) was the pilot. Yep, I began praying hard and apologizing to the Lord that I was not fasting that day, asking Him to forgive my ignorance and carelessness for taking my children up in the air with me. By now, my mind, as you and see was going way, way down the wrong road.

At the peak of my anxiety, I had a revelation. I first looked back at my children, who were pretty much enjoying the whole experience. Then I looked out again at the world below and I realized, rather experienced, something I already know well. This world, and me included, belong to the Lord. And that, if even the worst thing happened, and we plummeted all the way to the surface God has with certainty assured me that death will not be the final moment in my life.

How do I know this? Because in Christ death (the final foe for every human) has been soundly defeated. Because He is victor over the grave, I am also! And, while you may not share my ridiculous fear of flying, you and I all share this common foe - our own mortality! What a blessing it is to know, especially in those crazy moments of life, that the greatest obstacle to us all has been over come in Christ. In I Corinthians 15 the apostle Paul puts it this way,

"The last enemy to be destroyed is death . . . When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal pus on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your victory? O death where is your sting?'

This weekend, as we celebrate Christ's resurrection this is the truth we celebrate. Let me ask you, 'do you walk in victory this week?' Can you look death in the face, can you look at your own mortality and say with confidence: ' that is not my final answer?' If not, then join us this weekend as we explore the amazing new reality the resurrection of Christ brings to life! Be sure to bring a friend with you as we celebrate, I mean really celebrate the might work of God in Christ.

Overcoming Life's Challenges in Christ!

Biz

By the way, the plane (see picture) trip really was pretty cool and the pilot was fantastic - he did one of the best landings that I have ever experienced (prayer really does work). It was so good that I got back on the plane the next day and flew back to Hartsville (I will save that story for another time :^).