Let it Bump
These words had a profound impact on my life during a flight lesson not so long ago. I had just lifted off the runway when we experienced a bit of turbulence. As I struggled with the controls to keep the airplane level, my flight instructor breathed peace into my clenched fingers.
“Just let it bump.”
Of all the direction I could have
received from him, this was not what I expected. This was a battle with the
wind and I needed to win. I would man-handle the controls until that bird flew
straight and level!
But he wanted me to ease up. He
wanted me to quit fighting it. He told me to allow the airplane to fly through
the waves of air. He wanted me to relax just a bit and go with the flow. No
amount of struggle would have brought a smooth departure. It was windy and that
was something I could not control. If I could just ride the bumps instead of
fighting them, it would be fine.
And I did. And it was. And that was the moment that my
mind and body became one with my machine. Like a child learning to ride a
bicycle, that connection needed to be met and once it was met, harmony rang
sweet.
The weather of life is
unpredictable and uncontrollable as well. Turbulence can make it feel like the
bottom is going to fall right out. Sometimes it does. But most times it just
presents a bumpy ride. We can either
strain to keep our balance upright in the blustery wind, or we can relax into
the arms of God and allow the gentle rocking to sooth our souls. We can give
over to the One who does have control. He is not wringing His hands in
frustration wondering what to do next.
And in the darkest days. In the
days that threaten to strip us down to bone. He is there in the whirlwind and
the thunder. He is the heart beating loud that says “you are alive”. He is
the whisper that reminds us to breath. He is the arm of a friend to holds us up
when we would rather crumble in a heap on the floor. He is in the front of the
boat when the waves are tossing. He is the hand reaching out when we start to
sink.
All my wrestling with the
controls of that little Cessna would not have made the ride any smoother. All
the wrestling with the aches of this life won’t make them go away. But there is a peace that transcends
understanding. That peace if found in the hand of God. Curl up in His palm. Lean into the warmth and
relax the controls.
I pray that you find a seat in
His hand today. I pray that you are able to look out at the fires and floods
and lies and fears and storms and deserts and the pain and the loss and feel
the bumps and still feel His pulse.
“Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of
the sea, the Lord on high is mighty.”
Psalm 93:4
Content and Image 2016 © Charlene M Campanella (May not be used or reproduced in any fashion without written consent from the author)
