So as I was on the plane this
morning, I chuckled at the directions the flight attendant gave. You know the little speech before every
flight that we have heard so many times.
I must admit I rarely listen as I should. I will also confess that I enjoy it when the
flight attendant “hams” it up. Sometimes
a little “ham” gets my attention.
It is the part of the speech
about the yellow Dixie cup that is going to fall from the compartment
above. I have never had the experience
and I am quite sure I do not really want it. However, there are two phrases
that always make me chuckle.
“Continue breathing normal…” Yeah right.
Like if the airplane is falling from the sky, I am going to be breathing
normal. No chance. This person does not understand how fearful I
am. I begin breathing abnormally just
walking by a roller coaster. During
times of high velocity and irregularity of direction, my body has already
shifted into panic mode. To be honest, I
find myself in deep confession and rapid breathing. The presence of a Dixie cup overhead will
probably not aid me in continuing to breath normal.
I have experience a peace in the
midst of a calm though. It is a strange
experience. Right when life seemed to be
crumbling around me, I knew what the Bible speaks of—peace that passes
understanding. I think it is a
gift. But it is a gift to be sought and
opened. It is a gift to be treasured. It is the gift that gets us through.
Then there is that line about if
you are traveling with children, be sure and secure your Dixie cup before
helping others. One attendant put it
this way. “if you are traveling with
small children, secure your own breathing device. Then begin helping your children—starting
with your most favorite child!” I
laughed out loud at that one! I could
see a parent pausing to deliberate—“now which child on this day do I want to
save!” Aw come on! You know as a parent there are times when you
really want to tell God they ran away and you don’t know where they are (even
though you wanted to put them in a closet for while!) You wonder what side of the genetic equation
of your spouse’s family had created this little monster.
So to help others, we first have
to have our own breath (air). I see so
many parents struggling to teach children what they themselves never
learned. Take prayer for example. Some parents do not know how to teach
children how to pray because there is no discipline or practice of prayer in
their life! It reminds me of the car
commercial of the father teaching his son how to throw the ball and the father
has no clue as to how to do it. So he
commends the son for excellent throw because it resembles his own feeble
attempt.
Maybe deeper practice and study
in the disciplines of faith and holy habits would lead our children by example
into that holy breathing of the Spirit of God.
Could the lack of commitment to Christ and to the body of Christ we see
in our world today be a reflection of the poor practice of faith given? Not in every case, but in many? If so, what are you going to do about it?
Now some us have heard these
things over and over again. The speech
is the same. We may have even listened
more intently when the preacher “hamed” it up.
But when the moment comes—the Dixie cups fall from the compartment of
life—will we know what to do? Will we
have that peace that passes understanding?
It is a gift---one to be sought
and treasured. Better air or drink that
any Dixie cup will give. Breathe normal
and if you travel in life with children—continue breathing!
Pray for me as I pray for you.
In the Master’s Name,
Dr. M. Jack O’Dell
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