“Posterity, you will never know how much it cost the
present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of
it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that ever I took half the pains to
preserve it.” - John Adams
Airplane flights give me perspective. When I look out of the window, I'm overwhelmed by the number of people that each little dot of light represents. From so far above, you can't even pick out specific cities, let alone homes, or cars, or people. Yet, imagine what each of those people is going through, right at that moment. When you look at that city, you're looking at people crying, at people laughing, at people fighting, at people singing. Some single mom is sitting down to a meal her kids, another family is rushing to get to an event on time, while yet another is chatting while packing for a vacation. So much is happening, and we can't even begin to comprehend it all.
For me, flying is always a reminder of how little control I truly have. You can't preserve a sense of control when you're flying. Someone else controls the plane, as you soar thousands of feet above the ground, at hundreds of miles per hour. At the same time, as you watch the cities pass beneath, there's a sense of being so small. I am easily overwhelmed by daily dramas or studies - yet, in my city, state, or world, my little issues don't really amount to much.
I suppose that could lead to a feeling of insignificance...but for me it doesn't. I don't feel insignificant - I feel small. The difference is slight, but important. Insignificance implies an unimportance. Being small doesn't reduce the value of my life, or the importance of my situation, rather, it means that other people are going through life too. It's a simple concept - my life is just one of many - but when I watch cities slip away beneath my plane, it really connects. When I can see the lights that represent so many lives, it feels more real.
I can't control every situation in my life, and neither can any of the nearly-7-billion other people on this earth. At some point, we have to surrender our issues to someone who can actually exercise control.
I really like this short clip by Francis Chan. (I found his book, "Crazy Love" to be very inspiring - this video was part of his accompaniment for the book.) Although, it does make my brain explode a little.
I can't control my life, and neither can anyone else. When I try to manage every issue and control every interaction, life breaks down quickly. Very quickly.Each of us is just a one in billions, and our situations often threaten overwhelm us.
Yet, when I look out of the window of an airplane, it's not hopeless, and I don't feel insignificant. Someone has it all under control - and I am very grateful it isn't me.
It's so easy to get lost inside a problem that seems so
big at the time
It's like a river that’s so wide, it swallows you whole
While you sit around thinking about what you can't
change, and worrying about all the wrong things
Time's flying by, moving so fast -- You better make
it count 'cause you can't get it back
Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand
What you've been up there searching for forever is in
your hands
When you figure out love is all that matters after all
I've been listening to
Adam Lambert lately (don't hate =P) and I like this cover, from his time on
American Idol. It's nothing like the original, but it has more guitar, which I
love.
This is just a happy song, and Lambert's voice is
unbelievable. ^_^
People are seeking purpose and truth, but are often met with resistance, hypocrisy, and Christians who are unlike Christ. In current news, this video reminds me of the pastor who advocated the rounding up of homosexuals, and sending them to concentration camps (0:24 - 1:01). Definitely not demonstrative of the redemptive love of Jesus.
The song/video is a tragic reminder, and as well, an important warning.
"I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud.
And I don’t want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes.
I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down,
and I want every day to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift."
