HELICOPTERS

I've only had one chance to fly in a helicopter. It was at this fair grounds where they were hosting the rides as entertainment.

It really was a lot different to me from being in a plane. For one thing, you sit in a seat that is in a cockpit with a clear glass shell.

So you can look down at the earth and surroundings with any sense of something interfering with the view. Then too, the seat was hardly like a seat in jet. It was small with no arms and didn't in anyway make you feel somehow you were protected in the case of a crash.

Not that being in plane is really safer. I couldn't say what the differences in survival rate are, but in plane you sit in more comfort and have more illusion of being secure.

But despite what was for me an extra sense of anxiety over the fact of having less since of being safe, I did enjoy the great view. You could just absorb the whole view.

Thinking of that experience did relate for me in one way to the life of faith. Sometimes there are those occasions when trust is like a helicopter ride. There is nothing left to the imagination.

You can clearly see the dangers and all the challenges, but also the timing races along at a face pace. It can be very thrilling.

This normally happens in situations other than traditional arenas of faith. One where God takes you on a ride that doesn't require anything, but being a solo passage.

That is different than the more traditional settings were sit in the first class pew seats and have the minister pilot describe the flight. Oh he can make it so interesting.

But in that climate there is the loss of any sense of risk. They can just sit back and enjoy the nice little flight without any discomfort.

I'm not saying this is always the case. Merely that there are times when we all know that life is other than perfect.

And there are times, simply, in the journey of faith that you soar alone with God's help. It may not be something that others appreciate.

But God will make it to our benefit in the long run. We can find out the ways to improve our view with His help.

Those are the occasions that really do benefit us the most. The occasions when we can learn so much about all that following the Lord involves.

Hopefully without crashing along the way too.