~ written by Connie Dunmyer
Jesus says “Follow me” some 20 times in the Bible. Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17, Matthew 8:22, Luke 9:59, Matthew 9:9, Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 18:22, Luke 14:27, John 1:43, John 10:27, John 12:26, John 13:36, John 21:19, John 21:22.
Did you get to see any of the July 4th Thunderbird and Blue Angel Flyovers? I am always amazed by them. But this year even more so. I heard a former Thunderbird pilot explain that sometimes the planes are only 18 inches apart. That seemed extraordinarily close to me.
But I figured, “well, at least they have computers to do the work for them.” And then he said a thing that almost threw me out of my chair. He said “… and it’s all done by hand throttle.” That means it’s all done manually – the pilot and his stick. My esteem for them grew 1000% in that moment.
Then the pilot said something that I haven’t been able to get out of my mind for the past week.
“Only the lead pilot flies with any directional controls. All the other pilots fly solely based upon their position to the front pilot’s wing.”
And yes. Even at 18 inches.
When asked how they can possibly do this, the pilot explained: PRACTICE!
It takes time – it takes LOTS of time – to practice these maneuvers – the flying in formation. And it’s not just practice for a month, or even a year. They have to do this over and over and over and over and over… ad infinitum … if they want to be able to be a part of these elite pilots. It’s NOT like “riding a bike”. It’s not like swimming. If you get “out of practice”… you get out of rhythm… you get out of spacing... you cause problems and even accidents.
I bet you can tell where my mind went.
As soon as I heard this pilot talking, I swear it was like a thunderbolt from God. Only God flies the Lead Plane. My job is not to look at the instruments, figure out where I’m going, or even know my depth or height. My job is to hold my throttle, and steer based only upon my position to God. Not to the world, or the church, or the pastor, or the news, or the job, or the checkbook, or the doctor, or even friends and family. Steer based solely upon my position to God… preferably at a very close “18 inches”.
So how do I do that?
PRACTICE!
A year or so before our 25th Wedding Anniversary celebration, my husband and I took dance lessons at our local Arthur Murray studio. We loved our instructors. And they taught us many things. But they also knew we weren’t doing this to become “professional” or frankly, even “proficient”. We were doing it for FUN.
So when we were tested by the owner, she wasn’t particularly happy with our progress. We were. But she was not. And so as she tried to “straighten us out”, she said something that has stuck with me over the years:
“Practice does NOT make Perfect….
Practice makes Permanent!”
Now for a couple that just wants to have fun dancing, that comment made little difference to us.
BUT – for the pilot flying in formation, just 18 inches from his lead pilot – it’s critical.
AND – for the child of God who wants to stay close to the Father… it’s just as important.
So what does “practice” look like when flying so close to the Father’s “wing”?
To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I have all the answers to that question. It’s some of what I’ve been pondering this week when I heard that statement. But here are some of my thoughts:
- Time. I know we’re all so busy. But if everything else is sucking up so much of my time that night after night I crawl into bed and realize that I didn’t spend any specific time with God – that maybe I didn’t even thank Him all day… well, let’s just say I start to get pretty weak. My brain starts going places it shouldn’t. Fears creep in. And frustration becomes my word of the day.
- Position. By this I mean, where am I flying? Am I trying to take the place of the lead pilot? When problems happen (and they will), do I switch direction and point my throttle to the problem – or do I continue to stay in position based upon my Lead Pilot’s position? Or do I find myself drifting back because I’m positioning toward some other person, place or thing?
Focus. If my focus is not on God – on my Lead Pilot – I will get out of sync. If my focus turns toward others watching me, (and maybe I even give them a little wave), I’m pretty sure change of focus will change my position. If my focus is on the destination – or where I may THINK my Lead Pilot is going – I will likely move ahead of my Lead Pilot. And if my focus is on my instruments (life’s circumstances and logic), when it’s supposed to be on my Lead Pilot’s wing, well all kinds of bad things can happen.
When Jesus calls me to follow Him, it seems an invitation to follow in a fantastic thunderbird formation just 18 inches off His wing. Jesus doesn’t expect that I will be perfect at this. He knows I will need lots and lots of practice. Practice to make Permanent. Not Perfect. Because I can never really BE perfect. There is only ONE Who is Perfect. And thankfully, He IS my perfection FOR me.
But Jesus does expect action when He calls me to “Follow”. It’s a call to transformation. It’s a call to not go by what other people say or do. He calls me to align with HIM alone… His teachings and example. To hold my throttle and follow the Lead Pilot. To leave behind my own way of doing things. To give up my habits. To take up my cross (my throttle) daily and live out (fly close) to His wing above all other people, things, circumstances, and influences.
Take some time and consider, as I have, about how we may be flying along side our Lead Pilot… and if we need more practice to make permanent the following of our Lord.
Besides the flyovers this weekend, there was this moment (below). World War 2 Veteran Jack Myers, who is 103 years old, was at the Washington DC Celebration. He was accompanied by 10 other brothers in arms, all who ranged in age from 98-107 years old. During the lightning delay, they were in a trailer along with FoxNews reporters who were covering the celebration. Jack sang this very quick song. Jack made me cry with gratitude and pride. God bless America. God bless our Veterans and Soldiers. God bless our Thunderbirds and all our pilots.
God bless our practice of flying in formation with Him.
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