His Glory, Our Glory

Every time I fly, and that's been pretty often lately, I think to myself, "We could like, fall out of the sky!" Now, let me be clear, on this particular day, there is nothing to suggest that any of us felt threatened. A lady to my left spreads a copy of this morning's newspaper over her belly and begins reading. The elderly gentleman in front of me is riveted by what I am pretty sure is a slightly naughty romance novel. Miss Stewardess up front is very chatty and chipper with passenger 1A. Things seem so ordinary, so simple, perhaps we won't fall out of the sky today after all?

I am humbled by flight. No matter how many times I do it, I have the same initial reaction. I'm never able to skip past the overwhelmingly heart-stopping fact that for a few minutes, I will reside in the sky, glancing at the clouds in between sips of Coke, as though it was God who placed me there, as if I were a white crown pigeon who really loves Coke. But He didn't. He didn't give me wings, or even a vague interest in birds or stars. He certainly didn't give me any insights into aerodynamics, physics, or any of the stuff that he gave the Wright brothers and those other dudes. I haven't even been brushed with a light coating of curiosity about flight, but I am broken, just a little, every time I hop aboard a giant metal bullet and go soaring through the air.

I'm not just broken; I am rebuked. I am corrected. I am reminded of the glory of God. I am confronted by His omniscience and my ignorance. In those few minutes, I stare down my ego and realize she's just a punk, a show-off who doesn't know very much. I buckle up and shake my head at how little I understand about so many things, and how my entire life is ultimately one big act of faith. And then I breathe, and I relax, "This is perfectly normal. We will not fall out of the sky today." Except in my spirit I know that there is nothing normal about it. It is extraordinary. It is fascinating. It is astounding. It is exciting. It is the glory of God and of man.

Life is filled with 'norms' that are not truly normal. From floating hotels, to kidney transplants, to taking pics of the clouds like it's a selfie (see above :), none of this is normal. These are profound mysteries revealed by God. Everything that science and history have generously handed down to us like it's our birthright, is upon close and honest inspection, a puzzle solved, a riddle understood, a diamond exposed. But it is He who designs the puzzles, writes the riddles and buries the diamonds.

God has shown us His glory and allowed us to have our own. How amazing. Ours is a far lesser glory, one that we too often magnify above His, but it is our glory nonetheless. How amazing.

I'm deeply thankful today, grateful and honored that I'm still here, experiencing the fantastic as though it were ordinary.

"It is God's privilege to conceal things and the king's privilege to discover them."

Proverbs 25:2 (NLT)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We'd love to hear about your journey, especially what you are feeling grateful for today! Leave us a comment below :)