Welcome to another week of our Everyday Jesus link-up. Be sure to link-up below this post, comment on your neighbor’s blog and share with your friends… Because Jesus is everywhere, every day!
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Right after college graduation, I decided that to properly enter the big kid world, I needed to do something drastic.
So I decided to go to China for 10 days. By myself.
Yes, I had a friend that was already living over there, but all planning, transportation and the like was on me. Plus my friend has to work during the day so I knew I would be on my own in the “little” Chinese town of Xiamen (pronounced: Shaw-men, population: 2 million people. And yes, that is small for China.)
My flights booked and I had my passport and visa in hand. I had only flown internationally one other time and it certainly wasn’t to the other side of the planet by myself.
Needless to say, I was a wee bit nervous.
Photo courtesy of Clement Alloing via Flickr
After traveling from Kansas City to Denver to Los Angeles, it was go time. The moment to get on the plane that would carry me 14 hours over a huge ocean and (hopefully) land in Hong Kong.
I did a quick final check for all of my important personal belongings, swallowed hard and quietly walked down the narrow aisle to my seat.
As the door of the plane closed, my mind started to wonder. “If something happens in the air, there is no ’emergency landing.’ We will be over an ocean. I will be done for.”
As I pondered this truth, my concern started to grow. I wondered if I could change my mind. But alas, the doors were closed and there was no way I was going to lose the large amount of dinero I spent on this trip.
At this point in my life, I was just starting my “awakening” walk with Christ. I had been doing quiet time for the first time ever, as well as journaling. I thought about the idea of the plane going down over the ocean and tried to will myself to take comfort in the fact that if something DID happen, I would be going straight to heaven to meet Jesus.
I looked around and noticed a guy in front of me who must have been a professional flier. He already had his headphones on and was dozing off, peaceful as could be.
Ok, good. This guy knows what’s up. Cool as a cucumber. I will just be like him. Deep breath.
Just about the time my heart rate slowed and the butterflies started to settle down, I looked at the woman sitting across from me. Big. Mistake. She was mumbling what seemed like a desperate prayer in a foreign language, rocking back and forth in her seat and repeatedly kissing the cross she had around her neck.
Dear. Lord. In. Heaven. Does she know something I don’t?!?! WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!
Before I could let that thought fester, our massive plane with over 300 people on it lurched forward. The next thing I knew we were in the air… and there was no opportunity to chicken out.
Obviously, I made it to China (and back) by myself and in one piece. All of us, the cool/calm flier, the panicky prayer and my twitchy nervous self all made it to our destination, regardless of how we felt in our heart about the initial experience.
And do you know what got us there?
We had just enough faith to get on the plane.
If we had been too scared or worried about the journey, we wouldn’t have gotten on the plane and would have gotten nowhere.
The same can be said about our everyday Jesus walk of faith.
Walking with Christ can be peaceful one moment then nearly terrifying the next. But with each moment, we need to cling to the tiniest sliver of faith to get us through.
Where are you at on your journey today? Are you cool as a cucumber like the professional flier? Or mumbling panicky prayers kissing the cross? Perhaps somewhere in between? I would love your feedback. Chime in here.
Some days we are going to be confident and calm. Other times, we are going to be fighting back panic. Regardless of our emotional state or “size” of our current faith, we simple just need faith the size of a mustard seed…
Because that amount is just enough faith to get on the plane and take that daily ride with Christ.
Flying High with Him,
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ~Matthew 17:20 NIV
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