One of my favorite stories happened when I flew out west with our youngest. She had never flown before and I couldn’t wait to spend this time with her. She was around twelve and a bit apprehensive about the trip so I reassured her several times as we sat in the boarding area. I was so excited to be able to spend this trip with her.
As we boarded the plane and walked to the very back, I took in my surroundings. I had never seen a plane in such disarray before. I’m talking large interior panels that looked like they had been repurposed in order to build a section. Foam stuffing protruded from one part of the ceiling above our seats.
Once settled, I noticed the small opening beside my window. I put my finger in to make sure it didn’t go all the way through (for all those even more terrified of flying right now, stay with me). My daughter buckled her belt and took in every part of the plane and then, with wide eyes, looked right at me. I smiled. I didn’t want her to know this plane wasn’t what I was used to so I put my arm around her and offered, “It’s going to be ok.”
A few minutes later the plane began to take off, and had she not been buckled in, the kid would have been in my lap. The plane was louder than normal at take off and shook us from side to side. Once again and this time loudly, I reassured her (and probably every other person on that flight) that everything is going to be ok. As small particles of whatever that foam was drifted down around us, I again smiled and offered the words I kept saying until we landed, “It’s ok.”
We had a great trip and on the way back had a plane that was much newer and in a lot better shape. We still laugh about that flight and my young daughter who is now a young woman loves flying as much as her mother.
Our world is going through something we’ve never seen before. There are many unknowns and while it would be easy to look around and panic, it’s time to look at those we love whether they are sitting beside us or on our computers and say, “It’s ok.” God is going to get us where we’re going. It might be bumpy. It might be scary. We might have a lot of concerns but we’re not alone. We can look to him and know that he is here with his arms around his children, smiling, and reassuring us that all is well.
Keep reminding yourself that God is good. Turn off the constant noise of the news and open your nearest Bible. Read several situations that were alarming and note how often God showed up.
Our Father has a perfect track record of taking care of his children. He’s not worried. He’s not panicking. He’s not wondering what to do or how to fix this. God is here and everything is going to be ok.
Paula Harrington is the Children’s Ministry Leader at Lone Oak Church of Christ in Paducah and resides with her family in Calvert City. She is compiler and editor of the compilations, Once Upon a Bible Class, A Common Bond, and A Sunday Afternoon with the Preachers’ Wives. She is one of the contributors in the book Surrendering to Hope. When she’s not teaching at one of Marshall County’s finest schools, she’s helping her family at the Calvert Drive-in Theater. She can be contacted at harringtonseven@yahoo.com