Reflections on Faith &
Life for the Years of Winter:
A friend—sorry, but I have
forgotten which one--told us this story…
A man was on a plane. He
could tell there was trouble because the flight attendants were paying no
attention to the passengers. They were strapped in and hugging each other and
crying.
The pilot, knowing there
were many people returning from a Special Olympics on the plane, used simple
terms as he spoke over the PA system and tried to calm everyone.
“You won’t see any other
planes on the ground as we land,” he said. “They’ve been removed just for
convenience. You will see a lot of foam on the runway, but that’s just a
precaution. At the end of the runway you’ll see a fire truck…”
Suddenly, from the back of
the plane, came an exultant, “Fire truck!”
The man said the mood in
the plane changed immediately. He had been praying, repenting his sins,
regretting his missed opportunities, grieving his loved ones. Suddenly,
instead, along with everyone else on the plane, he was looking forward to
seeing a fire truck.
Sometimes I feel like I’m
on a plane bound for a disastrous crash. There is nothing I can do except
repent and regret and grieve. And vow that if I survive, I’m going to get on a
better plane next time. In the meantime, the best thing to do is find the fun
thing to look at. Fire truck!
JRMcF
johnrobertmcfarland@gmail.com
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