Travel can be a real bug-a-boo.  Engaging in it takes you to where you want or need to be. Parts of it, though, are sincerely un-fun.  Fortunately, I am a person who can find something enjoyable to focus on to keep travel from being totally hated.

I LOVE to fly. Once I’m through security I enjoy the experience. I especially enjoy flying when I have a window seat. One perk of getting married is that I have a better chance of getting a good seat because my sweet Hubby Guy always gives me the window seat if he has it.

We just traveled and a TERRIBLE thing happened. I was excited because once again Hubby Guy said I could have the window seat. When we got on the plane our seats were at the back wall of the aircraft and there wasn’t a window at all. The row in front of us had a window where all you can see is the side of the engine. So I couldn’t even creep a glance of the ground.

I had never put much thought into why I prefer the window. I had some time to think about it. It became crystal clear at the end of the flight. I had decided to listen to music in flight because the back of the cabin is right next to the engines. It’s really loud and a bit unsettling. I didn’t hear any of the “we’ll be landing soon” type of announcements. All of the sudden we experienced what felt like bad turbulence for a few seconds followed by a really loud noise. My daughter looked at me with fear on her face. In that moment I didn’t know if we were crashing or landing.

I realized that I like the window seat because I can see where I am going. I never understood before that moment how calming vision can be. Of course, my brain took that thought and ran with it. 

I thought of Proverbs 29:18 – King James Version (KJV) – Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. 

The verse isn’t actually talking about sight (like my ability to see the ground). The word vision there actually means a Word from the Lord or redemptive revelation of God. I’m no Bible scholar. I heard a sermon on that verse once and it blew my mind. I’ve never forgotten it.

I thought again about that moment when I didn’t know if we were landing or crashing. I thought about other moments in life that felt the same; and I grasped an important truth. In those moments, my focus determines my response. More-so during life events than in the case of an airplane, my faith in the unseen IS what determines if I land or crash. My beliefs become a lifeline.

On an airplane, my visual lock on the ground informs my level of comfort. In life, my lock on God’s Word informs how well I am able to endure turbulence. It was a timely message for me.