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)



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