Thursday, July 15, 2010

Day 186 - Course Corrections

I’m sitting here in Lisa’s house. Looking around, it seems like it is in total chaos. But it’s not. It is in process. It is in the middle of the process of being put in order. Just looking at it doesn’t lend any hope of that. But if you have been here from the beginning, you can see where order is going to come out of disorder. It might take a while, but it will happen. Our lives are like that. Many times if you just took a snapshot of our life, it would look in total disarray. By looking at that snapshot, you would think that there was no way it could ever be in order. But if you were looking at the video of our life, you would see things taking place that were causing change. Slowly this change would begin to cause order to flow.

I sometimes look at my own life as a snapshot instead of a video. When I see the snapshot, everything seems hopeless. When I see the whole video then a different view emerges. I admit that I have a tendency to this when I look at other’s lives also. It is so easy to do this, to just look at a snapshot and then “judge”. I am so glad that Father God doesn’t do this with us. No, He looks at the video. In fact He has seen it already from beginning to end. He sees the change; in fact He helps design it.

I can do that when I try. As a father, I can see my daughters’ lives over the long view. I can see where they have overcome and had success. I can also see where they need more love and understanding to help affect the change that is taking place in the moment. We are all changing, whether we know it or not. If you don’t want change, you may as well die. Change is inevitable and it is happening to us. I am changing right now. I’m not the same person that I was last week or probably even yesterday. The biggest question is what are we changing to? Someone said, and I can’t remember who, that you become what you behold. So then the question is what are you beholding?

That question is one that we should all ask ourselves periodically. It is not naval gazing, but more of a course adjustment. As a pilot flying over the north Atlantic, I am very aware of course adjustments. We had to make them all the time for wind corrections, thunderstorms. In fact, if it weren’t for course adjustments flights would be very boring and we would probably not land where we intended to land.

I believe that it is the same thing in life. We periodically have to make course adjustments to stay on the course God has called us to run. Course adjustments if made properly don’t even let the passengers know that a change has been made. The idea is to make them often enough so that it looks like you never even made one. Julia and I were partners. We loved each other and were friends, but we loved God even more. Because we were beholding the same thing, and had the same focus, our course adjustments rarely caused friction. We didn’t bump into each other because we both changed course at the same time. There were a few times when one of us would make a course adjustment without the other one. Then there would be friction and misunderstanding until we both eventually got in sync with each other again.

I know many couples that are not beholding the same thing. They are constantly having friction when one or the other makes a course correction. You see, we learn to live with someone else’s course, even when it’s not our own. But the least little change from us or from them causes everything to rub the wrong way. Planes flying in formation have to be on exactly the same course or there will be trouble. It’s the same way with couples. Julia and I were one of the fortunate one’s, our focus was on the presence of God. It was our passion to see more of Him in every area of our life.

As I leave Virginia tonight, the prayer I have for Lisa here in Virginia and for Jennifer in Ft Lauderdale, is that they would embrace the change that they are in. It is so easy to stay in the past, but life is about living and that is about moving into the future. I pray that they are willing to make the course corrections that they need and not be afraid of change. I pray that they don’t worry about the “snapshot” of their lives, but look at the video and see how God is working, because He is. In fact, I guess this prayer if for myself too.

Well, it’s time to leave for Georgia. I’ve had my “power nap” and I feel refreshed. I look forward to a long night of driving and quiet reflection.

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