Building a Mission in the Air

Imagine boarding a flight without knowing the destination. The pilot is going to file the flight plan once you are underway. Perhaps you were enticed to board, or you are walking the jetway at gunpoint. Maybe you were promised that the destination was a dream come true for you.

Now imagine you are told the fuel gauge is broken and that the plane has never been tested. And, to add an even greater sense of drama, what if the plane was still under construction while it was taking off? What if, rather than being enticed or pushed into all of this uncertainty you chose it willingly?

Not only this, but alerts have gone out to all of your family and friends,
letting them know about this “trip” you are taking on “faith”.

Do you think your mother would approve?

Would your pastor approve?

How about your coworkers?

We live in the information age. Adventure has been redefined, or perhaps over-defined. We pour over TripAdvisor and Yelp, we look for deals on Kayak and Priceline. We use Air-Miles and club discounts to hit destinations we think are well defined.

Most of the students who are here this quarter have no idea where this wild ride they signed up for will lead them. They know little about the speakers who are coming in and don’t know where they will be going on outreach. To make it more interesting, the school leadership doesn’t really know yet either. There are so many variables to make a plan like this come together, but really, the uncertainty is intentional.

Ever heard the expression “Jesus is my copilot”?

What if He were your pilot? And your travel agent?

What if all of the uncertainties were actually quite certain?

There is nothing fatalistic about trusting Jesus. He is an attentive pilot. He is a capable pilot and navigator. He wants to bring us closer to His heart. By trusting Him rather than our own plans and intellect, we imitate Abraham and Moses and all who came later, stepping out in faith and following the One who knows us and loves us.

The four of us have taken a leap of faith. This mission is being built as we go. The plane we are on might not look like much. Our supplies might run low from time to time, but we know the pilot. He is worthy of our faith.