Turbulence - Part 1

Training for Today: Run 4.5 miles

Devotion: Turbulence - Part 1

I hate airplane turbulence. The uncertainty, the stomach flipping, the rattling drink carts – all of it. Over years of travel, I’ve developed a few coping mechanisms that help me survive a turbulent flight. If you hate turbulence as much as I do, perhaps you can give these a try on your next flight. My first coping mechanism is called the “white-knuckle grip of death” and can easily be applied to the arm rest – or pant leg – of the person sitting next to you. Your fingers should be in severe pain by the time you let go; if not, your form is incorrect. My second coping mechanism is the “close your eyes to make it all go away” technique. I always imagine that this technique might result in falling asleep, only to find that we’ve landed and arrived at the gate by the time I wake up. That dream hasn’t come true for me yet. A final technique is to shoot an angry look at my husband (or whomever is seated next to me), as if to imply that the turbulence is somehow his fault. Can’t you fix this?


As I look back on my own experiences with pregnancy loss, I find that I’ve applied these same coping mechanisms as I’ve tried to deal with the aftermath. I’ve used the “white-knuckle grip of death” to cling to anything that makes me feel some sense of security and certainty. I’ve used the “close your eyes to make it all go away” technique to try and sneak away from the pain or the grief for a while. And, not so much on purpose, I’ve left my husband feeling even more helpless than he does when I wish he could make the airplane turbulence disappear. In his love for me, he wants to fix my pain, to make it go away. Does any of this sound familiar to you?

I think the reason many of us hate turbulence, life’s turbulence, is that it strips us of our perceived sense of control and replaces it with insecurity and uncertainty. To redirect this approach to turbulence, take a look at Psalm 16:1-2, 5-11:

Keep me safe, O God,
For in you I take refuge.
I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
Apart from you I have no good thing.”

Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
You have made my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
Surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the lord, who counsels me;
Even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
My body also will rest secure,
Because you will not abandon me to the grave,
Nor will you let your Holy one see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in your presence,
With eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Did you catch all of the references to safety and security? The Lord is at my right hand; no “white-knuckle grip of death” necessary. I have set the Lord before me; I don’t need to cower away behind closed eyelids. And, I don’t need to render my husband or others around me helpless; together, we have the Lord as our refuge, the One who will fill us with joy and the hope of heaven. Now that’s the best care in the air (sorry Midwest)!

Prayer
Dearest Heavenly Father, when life’s travels leave me feeling overwhelmed and insecure, remind me of the words of Psalm 16. I praise you and thank you for the gift of your Son, and I trust your hand to guide me. Amen.