By Rick James
These really are unprecedented times we are living through. In the midst of so much uncertainty I really appreciated Elaine’s reminder from Philippians that we should not be anxious about anything – even at a time of global crisis. It reminded me of a story that a good friend of mine, Mick Miller writes about in his forthcoming book ‘Choose how you travel’:
Three people travel on a plane from London to the USA. One is an elderly lady visiting her sister in New York; next there’s a middle aged man who’s heading off on holiday with his wife and kids; and finally there’s a businesswoman. She frequently flies to America.
The elderly lady has never been on a plane and she’s terrified. She worries her way through every minute of the journey, tightly gripping her armrests as if she might be sucked out of her seat at any moment.
The middle aged man has flown a few times before but doesn’t enjoy it. To take his mind off the whole experience he downs several large vodka tonics and a few beers. He ends up shouting at his kids (because they’re stressing him out) and gets into a row with his wife when she objects to the amount of alcohol he’s consumed.
The businesswoman remains calm and relaxed the whole way. She has a meal, watches a movie, then sleeps soundly for the rest of the flight.
All these people fly on the same plane and they all reach the same destination at the same time. But how they travel is completely different.
We can choose how we travel. Jesus said: ‘Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.’ John 14:1 NLT
This week:
- What areas of our lives do we need to entrust again to God?
- What would it look like to be a peaceful, non-anxious presence in our workplaces, our communities and our families?
